Awakening
by Hana-01
Summary: Kiba has to go away on a month-long mission leaving Hinata without her best friend, someone to confide in and he leaves her with an important decision to make. She finds solace in talking to Sasuke Uchiha, the only problem is...he's in a coma.
1. Comatose

**A/N: Hey! This is my first SasuHina fanfic, I wanted to try writing about this pairing because there are a lot of great SasuHina fanfics out there which have inspired me…This first chapter is kind of dramatic but I will try and lighten it up as the story proceeds. It takes place just after the Fourth Great Shinobi War…well basically my idea of what would happen.**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto**

**Chapter One – Comatose**

Paralyzed with remorse

Suffocated with guilt

Betrayal was in my blood

Power the only release from pain

Revenge was the only thing to gain

Forgetting friendship

Relinquishing love

It was never enough

Vengeance was the key

Knowing that I would never be free

Lying finally broken

The pain is still there

No words can be spoken

The guilt cannot be eased

Remorse will not cease

This suffering I have earned

My bridges have all been burned

His consciousness was slowly ebbing away as he lay there in the midst of people who were crying; some were tears of sorrow and some were of joy. He watched through heavy lidded eyes the blonde hero being embraced by everyone...his friend, his former comrade, a boy he shared a reluctant brotherly bond with. Madara Uchiha may have finally been overpowered, Sasuke Uchiha may have finally been freed from the clutches of evil and his eyes opened from the darkness but too much damage had already been done in more ways than just one. He felt something heavy strewn across him, she was crying. She always cried for him, he never deserved her tears. "Sasuke-kun, thank you..." she whispered near his ear, "Even though you were his...in the end you helped Konoha. Thank you." He wished she would stop saying thank you, what was there to be thankful for? One act of penitence towards the bitter end could not make up for causing years of hurt and suffering? Someone else knelt down beside him. "Hang in there Sasuke! We're taking you to Konoha hospital!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke glanced up at Naruto, his rival that never gave up hope on him yet he had always looked down on Naruto. He wanted to ask him why. Why had he not given up hope despite all Sasuke had done? Bitter thoughts of the past flooded Sasuke's mind; his brother's betrayal, the truth behind it all, Sasuke's own hatred and anger driving him into the clutches of an evil mastermind who sparked it all and was the primary cause of all the suffering Sasuke went through. Suddenly, he was yanked out of his thoughts and put onto a stretcher. He could still hear Naruto's voice and Sakura crying. The fourth great shinobi war had ended, but would the last Uchiha finally get peace?

-X-

The stars shone brightly tonight, the moon omnipresent in the night sky, and the sounds of the night infiltrated the air like the orchestra of nature. Hinata Hyuga mused to herself while lying under a tree with her teammate and best friend Kiba Inuzuka. They had become accustomed to this routine; after a hard days training, they would collapse with fatigue under the tree, always the same one, and discuss many things that were on their mind. Sometimes, it was just better to lie silently in each other's company, in silent contemplation. On this particular night it was the first time after a while that they could have this moment because of the war. Kiba's battle wounds were still healing and Hinata had been stationed as a medic in Konoha during this war.

As she played with Akamaru, she wondered when the war would end; she worried for Naruto's safety as well as the rest of the Konoha shinobi. So far she had seen many horrific injuries and even casualties. As a medic, she lived for helping people but the job also caused her to suffer many sleepless nights because of the nightmares that plagued her.

"Hinata..."

"Kiba-kun?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow. I've got a mission in the Rain Country, I don't know for how long I'll be gone."

Life still had to go on, missions still had to be taken.

"O – okay, good luck Kiba-kun, but will you be okay? Y-your injuries..."

"I'll be fine! But I'll miss you."

Hinata's good mood had evaporated, how was she going to cope on her own without the company of her best friend? Who would she confide in now? Without Kiba, there was no one else she really spoke to; Shino was much too quiet, since she was so in love with Naruto, she could barely speak to him without tripping over all over her words, she wasn't that close to any of the other girls like Sakura, Ino and Tenten. More importantly, everyone was involved in the war which was far more important than her loneliness or insecurities. Life would be pretty lonely without Kiba, he had become more than just her teammate and best friend – he was like her brother. "I-I'll m-miss you too Kiba-kun..."

"Hahaha, I'm sure it won't be too long, Tsunade-sama said it may take at least a month."

_A Month!_ Hinata thought frantically. She knew it was silly of her to be so dependent on Kiba, but he was her anchor, like her pillar of strength, he was always on her side. "What k-kind of mission is it?"

"They need a tracker to find something, I'm not too sure of the details yet."

"O-okay."

"I need to tell you something."

"Yes, Kiba-kun?"

Kiba looked up at the sky and then back at her, he looked at her for a while, noticing that she was looking at the ground and fidgeting a lot which meant she was upset or nervous. Kiba guessed that she was upset. "But you can't interrupt me."

With this, Hinata looked up from the ground and looked at him with those white pearly eyes.

"Hinata...you know I really care about you and all I want is to see you happy..." Kiba trailed on, as if he was weighing his words carefully, deciding what to say, "I know you have your heart set on Naruto but...he can't exactly see what's in front of him...but I do."

Hinata was staring at Kiba, her heart starting to thud in her chest, what was he trying to say? That Naruto would never love her? "He's a nice guy, I get what you see in him – he's all heroic and stuff, like some kind of knight in shining armour that all girls want...I can't compete with that, but I'm better than him in a way because I see you, I notice you...how incredible you are Hinata."

Hinata's fidgeting had gotten worse and her cheeks were flushed, she was so confused at what Kiba was saying but she didn't want to interrupt him. She had never heard him sound this intense before, he was always playful and funny, but she was now seeing a somewhat new side to him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...could you consider me? Could you ever see yourself with me instead of Naruto? Can you learn to love me the way that I love you?"

Her head was spinning, this was too much for her to take right now, where was all this coming from suddenly? Kiba had never ever shown any romantic interest in her as far as she knew. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me now. I'll give you time to think and decide...and when I return, well, hopefully you will give me an answer, haha," Kiba said, scratching his head and reddening slightly.

"A-all right," Hinata managed to choke out. Neither knew what to say next. "Let's g-go home."

"Okay, let me walk you."

They walked in silence, side-by-side, with Akamaru occasionally barking. Hinata looked at the ground as she walked, trying to keep her mind off her current confusing situation but she was interrupted by Kiba's voice. "What's going on there?"

Hinata looked up, they were in front of Konoha hospital and commotion was ensuing. "N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata first said in horror, but upon closer inspection, she saw a familiar dark haired ninja lying on a stretcher being carried into the hospital. He was followed by Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato and Kakashi. Team 10 was also present; Shikamaru was holding a crying Ino in his arms while Choji was also trying to comfort her. "Pull yourself together Ino! We need capable medic's here!" Tsunade thundered, and then she spotted Hinata. "Hyuga! Get in here!" Hinata quickly obliged and followed Tsunade into the hospital, Shino appeared beside her. "Sh-Shino-kun! What h-happened?"

"It seems like Madara Uchiha has been defeated by Naruto-kun and it appears that Sasuke-kun actually helped but is critically injured."

"T-the war is over then?"

Shino couldn't answer her because Tsunade had pulled Hinata into the hospital room and shut the door violently. Shizune was already administering the necessary medical treatment for Sasuke's injuries while Naruto had his arms around a crying Sakura to comfort her. Hinata bit her lip to keep from crying, she had to be strong, this was her job. She watched Sasuke lie there, unmoving, and just watching through eyes that were half-shut. Shizune went over to Tsunade and whispered something, Tsunade's expression was grave as she went forward to examine Sasuke. "Tsunade no-baachan! Is he going to be okay?" Naruto demanded.

Hinata watched in horror as Sasuke's onyx eyes slowly closed, he was so still as if he was – no, Hinata didn't want to think about it. Sakura screamed and tears were falling from Naruto's eyes. "Do something!" he yelled. Tsunade was an amazing medical ninja and everyone had great faith in her healing abilities. She held a palm over Sasuke's head and it was surrounded by green chakra. It was a long time before Tsunade spoke again and all faces in the room were hopeful. "He is not coming out."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked loudly, panic evident in his voice.

"Sasuke slipped into a coma."

"But – but you helped him before! You made him wake up when Itachi put him in a coma!"

"Naruto, this time it's different."

"How is it different, how?" Naruto asked, disbelief etched all over his face. He had his own injuries but refused to let anyone tend to him until he knew Sasuke was going to be okay.

"He has suffered terrible injuries that aren't just physical. He's undergone severe mental trauma. This is not a medical problem, it's psychological and only he will be able to wake up from it if he wants to," Tsunade said calmly. Sakura let go of Naruto and took Sasuke's hand in hers and said a silent prayer. Naruto was not speaking, he was just staring at his broken friend whom he had fought so hard to bring back. Hinata wanted so badly to reach out to Naruto but she remained frozen until Tsunade's voice broke her out of her reverie. "Hinata, I am assigning you as Sasuke's medic –"

"But Tsunade-sama," Sakura interrupted, still crying, "Let me-"

"Sakura, you are in no condition to handle this. You will not have a clear head," Tsunade said firmly, "Hinata will be more than capable to take care of Sasuke if – until he wakes up..."

Hinata gulped, she couldn't do this, so many things could go wrong, what if Sasuke dies while on her watch? "Thank you, Hinata," Naruto said softly. Hinata looked up wide-eyed at her crush, his beautiful blue eyes were soft as they looked at her, "I know you will do a good job."

Hinata nodded mutely, she was terrified but also full of new resolve because Naruto believed in her. This could also help her take her mind off all her other worries. She looked at Sasuke who lay as though he was simply asleep.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this! This is my first attempt at writing a romantic drama. It seems really gloomy right now, but there will be some humour and romance included. **** Thanks for reading and please review, it really is a pleasure to read your thoughts and opinions.**


	2. Your Silence

**A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers and those who have put this on their alerts or favourites! You guys are awesome. Sorry for my slow updating but here's the second chapter, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter Two – Your Silence**

After something dreadful like war, it was amazing how people could still get back up again and continue with life. There were those however, who were not as fortunate; many had lost their lives, many lay injured in the hospital and many were still in mourning over the loss of loved ones. The atmosphere in Konoha was hopeful, Hinata decided, as she began her walk to Konoha hospital. It had already been a week since the war ended and Hinata found her job to be rather boring. All she did on a day to day basis was make sure that Sasuke was getting the proper nutritional requirements through his drips, she tried to make sure he was comfortable even though he probably had no clue what was going on, she monitored his vital signs, she was told to write reports on his progress but so far he showed no sign of waking up. Tsunade and Shizune often came by to examine him but they always left looking confused or grim. Hinata could understand their confusion; all of Sasuke's other physical bodily injuries were healing normally but he wouldn't wake up. Hinata was assigned the morning shift and another medic-nin was responsible for the evening shift.

The other members of the Konoha 12; Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Shino, Neji, Lee and Tenten had been around to visit. Naruto and Sakura came everyday and Hinata noticed that they always came together, sometimes Kakashi, Sai and Yamato accompanied them and Sakura always brought fresh flowers everyday that she would place by Sasuke's bedside.

Hinata tried to refrain from acting like a fool when she was in Naruto's presence. "Hey Hinata! How are you today?"

"I'm f-fine and you N-Naruto-kun?"

"Great!" he replied, with a sparkle in his beautiful blue eyes, but it didn't last long as it was replaced by sadness for his best friend who was still in a coma.

Hinata bowed her head and stood aside as Naruto and Sakura proceeded to talk to Sasuke, they did this everyday because Sakura had read in a book that a person could be coaxed out of a coma if you spoke to them or played them music. Hinata also noticed that Sakura no longer got teary eyed at the sight of Sasuke, she firmly believed that he would wake up soon.

Hinata also prayed for this, she could not bear to see the most gifted ninja in their year lie defeated like this, she also didn't want to see the sadness in Naruto's eyes because she still cared for him deeply. How she wished for him to acknowledge her confession that she made during the invasion of Pein, but he had never said a word to her about it. Hinata thought it was because he was stressed about finding Sasuke so she didn't worry about it but now that the war was over Hinata began to grow anxious. Why wasn't he saying anything to her? Did he even remember? Did he care at all? He was still friendly towards her, in fact, nothing seemed to have changed between them, there was no weirdness and Hinata was slightly grateful for that. "Hinata?"

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun?"

"When Sakura-chan and I aren't here, could you please keep Sasuke company and talk to him for us?" Naruto asked. Hinata stared at him, then smiled shyly and nodded. There was no way she could ever say no to his smiling face. "Thanks Hinata, you're the best!" Naruto said, causing Hinata to blush crimson red like she always did when he would compliment her.

"Hinata-chan, Tsunade-sama said that I could replace the other medic-nin, but would you mind if I took the day shift?" Sakura asked.

"Sure Sakura-san," Hinata said softly, she really didn't mind because Sakura and Naruto were here every day during most of the day anyway and she often felt like she was intruding so the evening would be perfect for her. "Great! Wanna go get some ramen Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded, "Bye Hinata-chan, I will see you tomorrow."

"Bye Hinata!" Naruto said.

"S-see you, Sakura-san, N-Naruto-kun."

As they left the room, Naruto took Sakura's hand in his.

Tears pooled up in Hinata's eyes and she sobbed quietly, she had been so hopeful that Naruto was just waiting for the right moment to bring up her confession and possibly return her feelings, but now that was never going to happen. Hinata dried her eyes quickly just in case any of the hospital staff came in, she didn't want to be seen in such a vulnerable state. She was relieved when the other medic-nin came in for her shift. She could go home and cry herself to sleep and maybe tomorrow would be a better day.

-X-

Hinata arrived at the hospital for her evening shift, she dreaded going there because she would have to see Sakura and possibly Naruto. But when she got there, Sakura was pulling off the white hospital uniform and she was alone which made Hinata feel somewhat relieved.

"Hey Hinata-chan!"

"Evening S-Sakura-san," Hinata stuttered, "How is S-Sasuke-kun doing today?"

"He is still the same," Sakura replied sadly, "But we shouldn't give up on him, he will wake up!"

Hinata smiled, she could see what Naruto loved about Sakura; she was full of spunk, she was strong, determined, brave and she was beautiful. Hinata wanted to ask Sakura whether she and Naruto were dating but the words died in her throat as Sakura shouted a goodbye and dashed out of the room. Hinata figured that she was probably rushing off to meet Naruto and it left her with a hollow feeling.

She needed desperately to talk to someone, but Kiba wasn't here and he had been right about Naruto. She glanced at the hospital bed that was occupied by Sasuke. His handsome face was pale and peaceful and he lay still underneath the white covers. "I thought Sakura-san loved you?" Hinata whispered as she sat down on the chair beside his bed. There was no way that Naruto and Sakura were just friends and teammates anymore, usually if Naruto had asked Sakura out or tried to hold her hand, she would punch him, but Hinata saw that yesterday, Sakura didn't do that. Instead, they had walked off happily leaving Hinata with a pool of tears in her eyes. "You're probably the one who she ended up loving as a friend, does that make you sad?"

Of course there was no response from Sasuke. Hinata sighed with a heavy heart. "I promised Naruto-kun and Sakura-san that I would talk to you and keep you company...but we have never ever spoken to each other...until now...and you're not even conscious. Or maybe you can somehow hear me," Hinata rambled on as she found that it was easy to talk to a person like this. Sure, he wouldn't reply, but it was nice getting it all out. "I don't know what to do Sasuke-kun, Kiba-kun was right...and now I-I don't know how to deal with this. I want to be happy that Naruto-kun and Sakura-san are happy but I feel hurt," Hinata said, wiping her fresh tears on her sleeve. Anger was boiling up within her and she needed to vent but there was no tree nearby that she could punch until her fists bled. "He c-could have said, Hinata I don't like you!" she said, still in a whisper, "He ignored it. He must have thought I'm so s-silly and stupid!" Hinata no longer had control over her tears as they flowed freely, she put her head down on the side of the mattress. "Did you also ignore Sakura-san's advances? Is that why she ch-chose Naruto-kun instead?" Hinata looked up at Sasuke, through blurry tear-filled eyes he was still unresponsive. "I still can't h-hate them. How do you hate, S-Sasuke-kun? Why can't I feel hatred after something that I've wanted and loved for so long has b-been taken away from me?"

**A/N: Gloomy chapter again...Hope it wasn't too boring, it's just that all of this is going to lead up to the story and I don't want to make everything happen too fast. **

**Please review if you're enjoying this, or if you have any ideas or words of advice **


	3. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter Three – Confrontation**

_My heart is broken_

_I'm lying here_

_My thoughts lie choking_

_On you my dear_

_Together, Avril Lavigne_

_Only when I stop to think about you, I know_

_Only when you stop to think about me, do you know?_

_I hate everything about you, Three Days Grace_

-X-

"I was incredibly freaked out!"

"I would be too, things like that give me the creeps..."

"Just be glad _you _don't have the night shift, that's when Konoha hospital is at its freakiest."

"Have you ever actually seen – oh hey Hinata-chan!"

Hinata had just walked into the tea room at Konoha hospital, eager to get a cup of tea before her shift started. Sakura and Ino were sitting at the table, sipping their tea.

"Hello," Hinata said nervously and began making her tea while growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Ino and I were just talking about strange things that we've seen in the hospital," said Sakura, beckoning for Hinata to sit down.

"L-like what?"

"Random noises, or things moving unexplainably, weird cold..."

Hinata gulped, it was not uncommon for hospitals to be thought of as being haunted. It was a given, if you believed in the sort of thing, because people died in there almost every day. It was natural that strange presences would be felt; normally Hinata tried not to think of such things while she was here.

"Have you ever felt anything like that here, Hinata?" Ino asked.

"N-no."

"You're lucky. Three guys died here this morning, and the one was on my watch."

At this, Sakura's eyes were downcast. Hinata knew that she was probably thinking the same thing she was; what if Sasuke died on their watch? Sakura looked up and smiled at Hinata, "Well, I'm tired, you take good care of Sasuke-kun, tell him a story or something!" Sakura said brightly.

"I- I will," Hinata said, smiling weakly. She quickly finished her tea and made her way to Sasuke's room. The room was rather bleak shades of white, grey and dull green. Everything about it was cold, except for the vase of a colourful assortment of flowers that Sakura had placed there. She even had the window and curtains open to let sunlight and fresh air in, but Hinata had to close them because it was getting dark and chilly. She wrapped her arms around herself and yawned, she wasn't sleeping well lately which was probably because of the change in her schedule, but also because she was depressed over Naruto and she really missed Kiba. Hinata kind of like being at the hospital, her work took her mind off things. She busied herself with looking at Sasuke's chart and then proceeded to examine him. Just as she suspected, everything was still the same. "Why won't you wake up?"

No answer. Sasuke just lay there, only moving when she was readjusting his pillows. Her long, navy hair cascaded over his face as she leant over him. She drew back quickly and tied her hair up into a ponytail. After Sakura had given her hair the chop, Hinata grew hers out wondering if Naruto would finally notice her and compliment her the way he had complimented and admired Sakura's long pink locks. _How foolish of me, _Hinata thought bitterly as she tucked Sasuke's blankets into the sides of the bed. She regarded the boy in front of her, she didn't know if it was her imagination but she thought that slight colour had returned to Sasuke's face, that had to be a good sign.

"I don't get it. Everyone _loves _you, they're worried about you. They worked so hard to bring you back! What's keeping you from waking up?" she asked softly, while checking on his drips.

"I should be in your place. Nobody would worry – or miss me – or maybe Kiba would..."

Hinata sat down beside his bed and she tried to think up a story to tell him, she was never really that good at storytelling. "Once upon a time there was a pathetic excuse for a ninja-" but she stopped, no, she couldn't tell him such a depressing story. Naruto and Sakura always told him positive and encouraging things but Hinata had no such things in mind at the moment. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, she sat down and leaned back against the cushioned chair, "S-sorry Sasuke-kun, I don't have a story for you...I'm terribly tired. I – I haven't been sleeping much. I still think about him all the time. Is that wrong? Did you think of your friends when you were gone?" Hinata knew he wasn't going to answer any of her questions but she carried on while smiling darkly, this was just like writing in a diary – only the words didn't end up on paper, they hung weakly , lonely and invisible in the air. "I think about him more than ever now. I lie awake when I'm supposed to be sleeping and I keep wondering why he w-would act like nothing happened. Is he embarrassed about it? You're his b-best friend so you should know him best of all...I wish that – that you were awake so I could ask you, I can't ask Sakura..."

Hinata got up and switched the room light on because the shadows were making her uncomfortable. It wasn't her imagination after all, Sasuke had regained some colour and was no longer deathly pale. She curled up in the chair again and resumed her one-sided conversation, "All I wanted was for him to acknowledge it in some way...to say something, a-anything! Even if it was something I didn't want to hear, at least then I would have had cl-closure."

She continued talking even though she was feeling really drowsy and her eyes were heavy, yearning for sleep, "I don't want to be l-like this. What if I can't get past this? What if I'm sad and lonely forever?"

Her thoughts and words blurred into her dreams as she finally drifted off.

_Hinata was alone in a darkened room, was it darkened, or was she gone blind? She tried to activate her byakugan but she still could not see. In panic and desperation she could hear voices. "Hinata!" it was Kiba's voice!_

"_Kiba-kun, where are you?" she called._

"_I'm right in front of you!"_

"_Come Naruto, let's go," she heard Sakura's voice say._

"_N-Naruto-kun is here?" Hinata asked weakly._

"_Forget him, Hinata, they can't see you," Kiba told her, his voice was so near but she couldn't see him._

"_Coming Sakura-chan!" she heard Naruto's wonderful, warm, cheerful voice._

"_Naruto-kun! Wait, I n-need-"_

"_They're gone," said another cold, low voice._

"_Wh-who else is here? Why can't I see anything Kiba-kun?" she asked, on the verge of tears and longing for Kiba's familiarity because she was scared._

"_Maybe because you haven't really opened your eyes," said the cold voice. _

_Hinata turned around slowly in the direction that the unfamiliar voice was coming from. Her eyes seemed to be adjusting because she was starting to make out the shape of a person. It was vague and lacked detail but her eyes widened when she realised who it was. "S-Sasuke-kun?"_

"_Address your weakness. Confront him. Find your strengths. Never let go of them."_

Hinata awoke with a start when a warm hand was placed on her shoulder, she held back a scream when she realised that the lights she had switched on were now off, she jerked the hand away from her shoulder, heart pounding away in her chest. "I –I fell asleep."

"I noticed that."

"What are you doing here, Shino-kun?" Hinata asked, calming down a bit at the sight of her friend, "It is 4am!"

"I came to check on you. Why? Because you are my friend. And also, Kiba asked me to keep an eye on you while he is away."

"Oh –okay, thank you for coming by," Hinata said, genuinely glad to see her quiet and mysterious friend. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded and looking at Sasuke, "He still hasn't woken up."

"Yeah, but I think he is getting better," Hinata said with a small smile.

"That's good, but how are you doing?"

"I-I'm fine and you?" Hinata lied.

"You are anything but fine."

Hinata sighed, was she that transparent?

"I'll be okay, Shino-kun."

"Really? After all this time, will you just let it go that easily?"

Hinata stared at Shino, he was never one to talk about feelings.

"Or maybe you're okay because you have moved on?" Shino pressed on.

"M-moved on?"

"I'm assuming Kiba has told you by now, he said he was going to."

"O-oh, so you also knew," Hinata said, feeling ashamed because she hadn't really given Kiba's confession much thought.

"Of course, we're good friends."

"Shino-kun, I-I just don't know, you and Kiba-kun are like brothers to me, I just can't see him in that way," Hinata said sadly.

"I understand. But about Naruto?"

Hinata wished he didn't ask her that, the tears were welling up again.

"You are very upset," Shino remarked.

"I just wanted some answers from h-him."

"Then you must confront him. Why? Because it is important for your happiness, Hinata."

_Confront? _Hinata suddenly remembered familiar words from her dream and glanced at Sasuke. What had he said to her? _Address your weakness. Confront him._

It was the only way that she would get peace. She had to speak to Naruto and ask him all the burning questions on her mind. "Th-thank you, Shino-kun, I will."

Right after her shift ended, she decided.

-X-

It was 10am and Hinata went back to the Hyuga compound to freshen up before she went to look for Naruto. Sakura had begun her shift at the hospital so Hinata didn't have to worry about her being there. She walked slowly in town, willing herself to walk to Ichiraku Ramen where she hoped he was so she wouldn't have to go to his home. She told herself to breathe and calm down when she saw him sitting in Ichiraku, having ramen for breakfast. _I can't do this, I can't. I don't want to know, _she thought, panicking at the mere sight of him. She turned around but then Sasuke's words echoed in her head, _Address your weakness. Confront him._

_It is important for your happiness, _were Shino's words.

Hinata walked into Ichiraku, heart beating fast and her face heating up. Naruto turned around immediately, "Hinata! You've also come to Ichiraku for breakfast!"

Hinata smiled uncomfortably, feeling close to fainting on the spot.

"How is Sasuke doing?" Naruto asked good-naturedly.

"He is i-improving," Hinata said softly.

"That's so great Hinata! Hey old man, get Hinata a bowel of Ramen, I'll pay!" Naruto said with a grin, blue eyes shining.

_No, no, don't do this, you're making it harder_, Hinata thought. If she didn't do this now, she would chicken out and probably never ever do it. Taking a deep breath, "N-Naruto-kun, I-I need to t-talk to you."

She mentally cursed and wondered if he even understood her through her stutter.

"Sure, what is it Hinata? Are you okay, you look like you've got a fever or something."

"I-I-"

Naruto looked worried, "Let's go outside." He led her outside and she took another big gulp of air. "Now you can tell me!" he said, watching her expectantly.

Hinata's mind was reeling from all the memories she had of him; when they were very young and he rescued her from bullies at the academy, how she would follow him around because of his spirit and determination, at the chuunin exams when she offered to let him cheat off her test, when he cheered for her in her match against Neji, when they were partnered up on various missions to locate Sasuke and when she finally confessed during Pein's invasion.

"Y-you never said a-anything to me afterwards," she finally choked out.

Naruto looked genuinely bewildered.

"I said I l-loved you, b-but you didn't ever say anything. I waited but you d-didn't."

Naruto looked at her with shock reflected in his blue eyes and then he looked down at his feet. "I'm so sorry Hinata."

Her eyes were brimming with tears but she pressed on, "I-I don't want an apology, N-Naruto-kun. I just n-need to know why. D-do you dislike me? Are you e-embarrassed about it?"

"No Hinata, and I don't dislike you at all! It's just...I have been in love with Sakura my whole life and it didn't change or waver even though I knew she loved Sasuke. I had made a promise to myself that I would tell her when I fulfilled the promise I made to her about bringing Sasuke back. And so I did, even though there was the risk that she would reject me because Sasuke was back, but she didn't and I was so happy I didn't even think..."

Hinata was wiping her eyes with her sleeve and Naruto put his arm around her shoulders, "That's still no excuse for ignoring you and acting like what you said didn't happen. Truth is, I had no idea you felt that way at all!" He offered her his handkerchief and she took it quietly, listening to what he had to say with a heavy heart.

"Hinata I knew you were a shy girl, and we talked a bit, and I considered you a really good friend! But after you said that – that you loved me, I was shocked! I didn't know what to do or say. I'm really not good with this stuff. I didn't want to give you false hope because I knew I loved Sakura-chan and at the same time, I didn't want to hurt you. So that is why I didn't say anything...but I guess that was a mistake, I should have been honest."

Hinata was feeling calmer, like a weight was being lifted off her. She was still deeply sad, but now she knew she could overcome it. "I-I understand, Naruto-kun."

Naruto scratched his head nervously, "I always want to save the village, I act strong and brave and do heroic things, but I guess that I'm just as all you girls would say 'when it comes to girls, still just a stupid guy'. Hahaha."

"Not s-stupid," Hinata said, managing a tiny laugh.

Naruto squeezed her shoulder, "I am! I'm admitting it! But hey, Hinata, you are a great girl, don't you ever forget that. You're brave and strong and also really pretty, and so you deserve someone awesome and I'll bet he's out there waiting for you!"

Hinata nodded, she knew he was trying to cheer her up, and yes, she was going to be fine because no matter how amazing and heroic she thought Naruto was, he was right, he was still a guy. And there were plenty of guys out there, she just needed to find the right one for her.

**A/N: Whoa! Long chapter, stayed up all night writing this so you'd better review and tell me what you think.**

**I must apologise...it's still all sad and gloomy...also, my updates are really slow because of campus... and since writing drama and romance is not my strong point, I've been concentrating more on the humorous stories like 'Kingdom Konoha' and "Konoha's Bash' so check those out if you have the time **


	4. Haunted

**A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews…and sorry for the slow update**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter four - Haunted**

_I feel like I am all alone_

_All by myself_

_I need to get around this_

_My words are cold_

_I don't want them to hurt you_

_If show you, I don't think you'll understand_

_Because no one understands_

_All the pain I thought I knew_

_All the thoughts lead back to you_

_Back to what was never said_

_Back and forth inside my head_

_I can't handle this confusion_

_I'm unable_

_Come and take me away_

~ Take me away – Avril Lavigne

_Lavender...the smell was enticing; it was the symbol of love and seduction...a sign of tenderness or affection in order to break a long silence. They were fresh and sat in a beautiful vase that was meant to beautify the dull room. It was the first scent that graced his sense of smell. He began to become aware of his surroundings. There were two girls in the room, one chatting animatedly to the other while the other just politely nodded and smiled. Someone lay on the hospital bed looking like he was in a very deep sleep, looking so achingly familiar but it was difficult to tell because it felt like he was looking through a haze. No, they could not see him, they were not aware of his presence. He didn't have enough substance yet to manifest a true form. The thoughts and memories were forming fast leaving him feeling lightheaded. His newly shaping body felt so weightless. He felt so free, like a butterfly out of a cacoon. He felt better than he ever had for a long time yet he was still so cold and he would seek out the one thing he needed...warmth._

_-X-_

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief when Sakura left the room, the pink-haired girl loved to talk, and she had been thrilled to see that Hinata had arrived at the hospital with bouquet of flowers. "Ooh who were they from?" Sakura had asked with a wink. Hinata had blushed, "F-from..." but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Thankfully Sakura didn't pester her for more information, instead she hugged Hinata and wished her a happy birthday and helped Hinata to place the lavenders in the vase by Sasuke's bedside. She was now seventeen years old like the rest of the rookie nine. "Are you sure you want to leave them in here and not take them home?" Sakura had asked.

"Y-yes, my father would ask too many questions," Hinata lied.

The truth was that Kiba had arranged with Ino before he left for Hinata's favourite flowers to be delivered to her on her birthday. While the gesture was undoubtedly sweet, Hinata felt really guilty.

Hinata did her usual rounds of checking up on Sasuke, he was certainly looking healthier today. "I have to thank you Sasuke-kun, y-you helped me...I know it sounds crazy b-but those words you said to me in my dream...they helped. I-I don't know if I'm completely over N-Naruto-kun, I think it will take some time...but I do feel m-much better," Hinata said while filling out his chart. She didn't mind working on her birthday, it wasn't like there was anything fancy that was going to be planned for her at home.

Hinata moved around the room, closing the curtains when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, she dismissed it as her imagination and took her seat in the chair beside Sasuke's bed. _I musn't doze off again, _she thought wearily. "Kiba-kun is coming back soon and I still don't know what to tell him..." Hinata trailed, gently brushing strands of Sasuke's hair off his face. His skin was warm to the touch. Hinata was positive that he was going to wake up soon. Tsunade had ordered her before her shift could begin, to remove Sasuke's bandages. Sakura was usually the one who removed them and applied fresh ones but Tsunade announced that he wouldn't be needing them anymore and they could be taken off for good. As Hinata unwound the bandages from his torso she blushed slightly.

"I – I don't feel the same way about him so whatever I say is going to h-hurt him," Hinata said while taking off the bandages on his arms, "And I don't want to do the same thing to him that Naruto-kun did to me, but knowing Kiba-kun he would demand an answer out of me..."

Hinata paused as she was removing Sasuke's shoulder bandages because a sudden chill had passed through her, she checked to see if the window was opened but she clearly remembered closing it earlier. She dismissed it as her imagination and continued to tuck Sasuke's blankets around him. "K-Kiba-kun has done so much for me, he is protective of me and...and that is why I think of him as a brother to me. I love Kiba-kun, but it feels like how I would love my siblings – l-like Hanabi and Neji."

Hinata bit her lip, "I want to get away from t-this village for awhile, m-maybe I can ask Tsunade-sama for a mission out of the village. M-maybe I can be like you Sasuke-kun, and go away for a while..."

Suddenly the vase containing the lavenders tipped over and the water dripped onto the floor as Hinata's breath caught in her throat, "Who – who's there?" She instinctively drew out her kunai and activated her byakugan since it could see through any concealment techniques. She could see a figure at the other end of the room just standing against the wall. Hinata aimed her kunai at the figure while she got into her gentle fist fighting stance. She was shocked when her kunai appeared to go right through the figure. "Reveal yourself," she tried to sound confident. The figures chakra was fluctuating and Hinata was able to make out a true form. She deactivated her byakugan, "S-Sasuke-kun?"

_No, it has to be an assassin in transformation, _Hinata thought frantically launching an attack on him with her gentle fist. To her horror, her fist, like the kunai just went through him. Onyx eyes stared into pearl ones, and Hinata averted her eyes to the Sasuke that lay on the hospital bed then to the one in front of her.

"Hyuga..." was the last thing she heard before her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out.

-X-

He stared at the motionless body on the hospital bed, _his very own body_, hooked up to various machines that were monitoring his heart rate and a drip that he was getting fed through. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the girl he had placed in the chair after she had passed out. Hinata Hyuga...he remembered her as the tiny, awkward, shy and soft-spoken girl at the academy who had a thing for Naruto, something he didn't quite understand. On their first day at the academy he remembered Naruto boldly declaring that he would become the Hokage and make people recognise him while this girl said she wanted to be a good shinobi that was kind like her mother and strong like her father.

He had to agree that she was certainly kind because she and Sakura had being taking really good care of him regardless of all the atrocities he had committed, but she had to definitely work on being more stronger. This girl was strange, she was a mystery to him, pouring out her heart to him every night about the dobe and the dog boy while not having an inkling whether he could hear her on not. But he had, strangely enough, he could hear everything that everyone would say. Sometimes he could tune it out but he had found himself listening to Hinata. He could hear and decipher the thoughts and emotions and words of others more clearly in his unconscious state, it was a curious thing.

Hinata stirred and she was slowly opening her eyes. "Good, you're finally awake." He wondered if she could hear him or still see him. Hinata whimpered and looked fearfully at him. _At least she isn't a screamer, _he thought.

"W-who are y-you?" she stuttered, shrinking into the chair.

"Who do you think?" he snapped.

"B-but, it can't be! Y-you're there!" she said, pointing to the bed.

"I see that."

"A-and y-you can't be d-dead because your vital s-signs are normal."

"Well spotted."

"I-if you're n_-_not a g-ghost, then w-what are you?"

"Beats me."

Hinata's eyes narrowed, "Y-you're an imposter!"

He chuckled darkly, "No I'm not. You've been pouring your little heart out to me for days now...I know a lot about you Hinata Hyuga." He was circling her chair now and then he stopped behind her and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You were so miserable over the dobe because he didn't acknowledge your confession..."

"D-don't," Hinata whimpered.

"You wanted to know what it's like to hate. You wanted to be the one in the coma," he said, now facing her.

Hinata looked very afraid, "O-okay, m-maybe it is y-you. W-why are you out of your b-body?"

"I don't know. At first, even though I was unconscious I could still hear and feel. I wanted it to end. I wanted to be dead."

"W-why?"

"That does not concern you. Why am I still here? The past few days I was feeling something strange, like something drawing me out," it was more like he was talking to himself now than Hinata, "It has being getting stronger and now I can even do this," he said, and he gripped her shoulder. Hinata gasped and he drew his hand away and flexed it.

"Why do I feel like I need to be ..." and he stopped and looked at Hinata who was looking at him with a mixture of fear and awe.

"Why am I still here?" he asked again, looking at his body on the bed with a strange look in his eyes, "I wanted to die because of everything I had done, all the pain I caused...why am I not gone?"

Hinata found her voice again, "M-maybe there is still some things that you n-need to do."

**A/N: Before any of you start flaming me for Sasuke possibly acting out of character, I'd just like to defend myself and say that he is in a state of shock.**

**At least he's finally made an appearance! So review and tell me whether you enjoyed…or not and leave some comments and tips **


	5. Invisible

**Chapter 5- Invisible**

_I got lost inside a memory when I was young_

_And I almost drowned_

_But I was found_

_It sounds tacky_

_But I'm hopeful_

_There's a reason that I found the ground_

_And the sirens sound_

_To set the dark on fire_

_Set the dark on fire_

_Set the dark on fire..._

_Dark on Fire, Turin Brakes_

"M-maybe there is still some things that you n-need to do."

Sasuke looked at Hinata pensively, while she had long since looked away and was staring at the body on the hospital bed. The door to the room opened slowly making Hinata nearly jump out of her skin.

"Hinata-chan, you're still here," Sakura said, smiling broadly, "You must be really tired, do you want to go have a cup of tea with me before you go?"

Hinata sat there gaping at Sakura which earned her a concerned look from Sakura.

"Hmm...she can't see me," Sasuke said. Hinata looked in his direction, wondering how on earth it was possible that Sakura couldn't see him when she could see him so clearly.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, putting a hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"Y-yes. I'm fine Sakura-san just...sleepy, I have to go, see you later," Hinata said, jumping up and leaving as fast as she could while shutting the door behind her. Maybe it was just all a dream, yes, that's it, of course she was hallucinating because Sakura did not see Sasuke. "That's it, when I go home now I'm going to get a good night's sleep, no thinking about anything or anyone else," Hinata frantically whispered to herself.

"Great, but where do I go?"

Hinata gasped as Sasuke was standing in front of her, arms folded and scowling, exactly as how she remembered him from their days at the academy and as genin. "G-go back to your b-body!" Hinata said, flattening herself against the wall because she was so scared out of her wits. "Hn. Tried that."

"You're not real, you're not real, I'm just imagining this. Lack of sleep," Hinata muttered randomly. Some nurses that were passing by looked at her strangely, and then, to her dismay, Tsunade and Shizune were approaching. "Hinata, how are you?" Tsunade asked with a smile.

Hinata looked at Sasuke who was standing calmly against the opposite wall. "Um..I'm f-fine Tsunade-sama, and you?"

"You look pale Hyuga, rest up, we need you on top form. You can take this evening off, I will assign another medic," Tsunade said briskly, sweeping past her. Shizune gave her a small smile and hurried after Tsunade.

"They can't see me either," Sasuke said softly.

"I-I am going home," Hinata said, before quickly running out. She felt as if she would lose her mind if she stayed in that hospital any longer...that's if she didn't already lose it.

-X-

Sasuke Uchiha had no intention of staying in Konoha Hospital listening to Sakura's lame stories and Naruto's loud voice. He was grateful to see that they were okay and seemed to be happy enough. Everything and everyone in the village seemed to be pretty much the same; Ichiraku Ramen was still in business, the Yamanaka's still had their flower shop and he noted with a smirk, that Kakashi still walked around reading Icha Icha novels. He felt nostalgic walking around the village where he had spent his childhood and where he had lost his family. His mind was strangely clear as he decided to walk in the direction of the Uchiha compound. His brother Itachi did all that he had done in the name of peace and in the end, Sasuke decided to follow through with Itachi's plan, even though those were not initially his intentions. He was fuelled by rage and that made him easy for Madara to control and manipulate. The war, the very war that Itachi had tried to prevent, made Sasuke see the error of his ways. There were so many casualties and Sasuke realised that all this would amount to was an endless cycle of death and despair. _But why am I still here? I was supposed to have died in that war, _Sasuke thought bitterly. _That Hyuga girl said it's because I still have things to do? But what? Make amends with everyone? That seems ridiculous._ It really was frustrating not to have answers, especially when one was considered a genius. _How do I make amends with anyone if they can't even see me? _He wondered if he was trapped in some kind of weird limbo between life and death. That couldn't be, since Tsunade had reported that he was perfectly healthy yet still in a coma. He even tried willing himself to go back into his body but that didn't work. He was walking through the most crowded areas of the village just to see if anyone else could see him, however, nobody did. "This could be fun," he said out loud, wearing a smirk. He picked up an apple from a vendor and placed it back down quickly before anyone noticed an apple suspended in midair. It was a curious sensation when people walked through him but he soon grew tired of the noisy marketplace and decided to continue his journey to the Uchiha compound where his goal was to hopefully unearth some answers about his current condition. When Sasuke reached the outskirts of Konoha, he was met with an unpleasant surprise.

-X-

A breeze blew causing the sheer curtains to billow out gently in the darkened room while Hinata tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall soundly asleep. It was unbearably hot in Konoha and Hinata was wearing a tiny night dress which didn't help much. Even if she were naked this heat would still be stifling. Hinata sighed in defeat, threw off her covers and reached towards her nightstand for a glass of water. "It's gone," said a low voice, while Hinata sipped from the glass. She spat out the water and stared into the darkness of her room...sitting on her windowsill was Sasuke looking very ghostly the light from the moon only showed some of features while the rest was obscured by the darkness. Hinata's heartbeat became erratic and she closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them.

"Y-you're still h-here."

"Yeah. It's gone."

"W-what?" Hinata whispered fearfully, burying herself in her covers, hoping that it had been too dark for Sasuke to see her wearing just a night dress.

"The Uchiha compound. It's no longer there."

"O-oh," Hinata stuttered, obviously Sasuke didn't know what had happened to the village when Pein had come. "Konoha was destroyed by P-Pein and when it w-was rebuilt I – I guess they didn't rebuild the U-Uchiha compound..."

"Ah..."

Hinata hoped Sasuke would leave, having him around wasn't doing anything good for her sanity. "Why d-did you come here?" she asked curiously. Much to her dismay, he got off her windowsill and walked into her room, towards her bed. She pulled the covers up higher as he sat at the end of her bed. "You're the only one who can see me...currently the only one who can give me answers." Hinata didn't reply, she was wondering why nobody else could see him besides her, it was driving her crazy. "I'm not a figment of your imagination," Sasuke said quietly, as if he could read her mind. _He probably can, _Hinata thought fearfully. The worst part was that he now knew all her secrets and fears.

"Y-you should go," Hinata told him.

"Where to? Everywhere I once lived doesn't exist anymore. And I'm not going back to the hospital," Sasuke said, his stare was making her uncomfortable.

"What about staying at N-Naruto-kun's?" Hinata offered.

"Useless," Sasuke said, "How can I spar with someone that can't even see me?"

"S-spar?"

"Yes. If I get stronger maybe it will help me return to my body, don't you think?"

"Maybe." While they sat in silence, Hinata contemplated whether or not she could tell anyone about Sasuke, however, chances were that nobody would take her seriously. The one person who probably would wasn't here. _Please come back soon, Kiba-kun, _Hinata silently prayed.

"Promise me something," Sasuke said.

"Y-yes?"

"Don't tell anyone about...this, about me. Not even Kiba."

_Oh no! He can read my mind, _Hinata thought. He was looking straight into her eyes, waiting for her response. A cloud had drifted by, obscuring the moon and the light it lent to the darkened room. Their faces were cast in shadows, Sasuke's was passive and Hinata's was panicked. "So?" he asked, when Hinata was not responding.

"O-okay."

"Good."

There was silence once again and Sasuke didn't look like he was about to leave as he appeared to be looking around her room and immersed in thoughts of his own. Hinata wished that she had the ability of reading people's thoughts. It would have been interesting to venture into the mind of a psychotic S-ranked criminal like Sasuke and find out if he really had been redeemed. Looking at Sasuke, Hinata immediately felt guilty for thinking that, after all, he was a former classmate, he had been through a lot in his life and he had helped to defeat Madara and end the war. Sasuke seemed to have noticed her looking at him and turned his attention back to her. "Are you afraid of me?"

Hinata's eyes widened. Yes, she was very afraid at the moment. How could she not be? The guy was lying in a coma back at Konoha hospital but his spirit was hanging out in her bedroom. _I can't let him know that I'm scared, _she thought, but her actions had probably already given her away.

"N-no. I'm not afraid." _Stupid stutter! _She cursed.

Sasuke regarded her silently for a moment before standing up. Hinata's heart rose, optimistic that he was going to finally leave.

"Good. I will stay here then," Sasuke said, moving to once again sit against the wall by her windowsill.

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! But at last I'm done with campus and I have plenty of free time to write...and to start looking for a job –sigh-. **

**I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Please review!**


	6. Weakness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 6 – Weakness**

_I'm walking through your streets  
I'm looking in your windows  
I am elemental now  
You'll never even know I'm there  
I'm watching over you  
I'm living in the shadows  
I'm just a word to you  
But I am very real  
I'm all there is to know  
I'm all that you've forgotten  
I'm enigmatic now  
You never even knew my name  
I'm dressed tragedy  
I'm by design immortal  
I'm just the last one left  
I'm just a secret now  
I'm just a vague illusion  
I'm a lie you tell yourself  
That you never truly did believe  
I'm a whisper in the dark  
I'm a victim and the killer  
I'm almost ready now  
But you insist that I don't exist...  
_

_Reborn – Stonesour_

Hinata did not know how she managed to doze off with Sasuke perched on her windowsill, but between peering at him and trying to figure out what was happening, she had fallen off to sleep. He had not once looked at her, his attention was riveted on the outside world. When she awoke that morning, she was surprised to find that she had a restful sleep and felt much better than usual. She had almost forgotten about Sasuke's presence until she went to her window to draw open her curtains. He was not there and all that was left was a ghost of the memory. _Maybe I was hallucinating after all, _Hinata decided. The restful sleep was what she needed after all the mental and emotional stress that had been plaguing her. Just as a precaution, Hinata activated her byakugan and glanced around the room, to her relief there was no sign of any other presences.

She laid out her clothes for the day on her bed and went to shower. Hinata enjoyed the feeling of the hot water caressing her bare skin, it made her feel alive. _Today will be a good day for training, I'll ask Shino to spar with me, _she thought, feeling motivated. Then, it was with a bit of guilt that she thought again of Sasuke, who was lying comatose in hospital while she could still enjoy her life, it made her appreciate her life even more now. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a huge white towel and made her way back to her bedroom where she dressed quickly and proceeded to brush her long hair in front of her full length mirror. From the mirror, she could see the reflection of her window and she smiled, _there's nobody there, you were just really tired and dreamt it all_, she reassured herself and headed down to breakfast. Neji was sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea and he wasn't alone. Hinata gasped and Neji looked up at her.

"Good morning Hinata-sama," Neji said.

"G-good morning Neji-niisan," Hinata said, trying to compose herself.

"Are you alright? You look a little pale," Neji said, eyeing her as she stood rooted to the spot.

Hinata looked away from a frowning Sasuke and nodded to Neji, "I-I'm fine."

Her good mood had somewhat evaporated after seeing Sasuke who was standing casually in the dining room, Neji didn't appear to have noticed him. She was sure that if he had his byakugan activated he would have seen Sasuke standing there. Hinata tried to ignore Sasuke as she prepared breakfast and some lunch for later on when she trained with Shino.

"See you later," Neji said, gathering up his things and leaving her all alone with Sasuke.

Hinata picked at her food, feeling uneasy, "B-bye."

Neji turned to her, "I think you should ask Tsunade-sama for more time off from the hospital." And he left.

"He's right," Sasuke said when Neji left.

Hinata concentrated on her food without saying anything.

"Why are you scared?"

Hinata looked up, wide-eyed, not knowing what to say and she had suddenly lost what was left of her appetite, familiar waves of anxiety were engulfing her once again. "Please go," she told him softly. Sasuke was silent, and looked as if he were contemplating something.

"I - " he started, then seemed to reconsider what he was about to say.

Hinata took her dishes to the sink and began to wash them, "Are you real or am I going c-crazy?" she finally had the courage to ask, all remnants of her earlier good mood and motivation gone. Sasuke smirked, "Why don't you find out?"

Hinata looked at him, the fear in her wide opal eyes was undisguised, "H-how?" she asked this yet part of her was reluctant to know the answer.

"I don't know, Hyuga. Find a way," he snapped, "I hope you remember your promise. And another thing, don't just ask for time off from the hospital, quit."

A little bit of anger rose up within Hinata as Sasuke was looking at her condescendingly.

"You can't tell me what to do, you're n-nothing!" Hinata said, her voice quivering.

Sasuke looked mildly surprised and Hinata's cheeks were flushed and she was scowling, "Why have y-you come here? To me? Why won't you l-leave? Stop trying to s-scare me, belittle me and stop making my life m-miserable!"

There were tears in her eyes now, because she had never yelled at anyone before and it made her feel better when it was all out.

Sasuke stared at her from across the dining room, "I'm not trying to do any of those things. It's just...I need you."

-X-

Kiba Inuzuka hopped from tree to tree along with his faithful canine companion Akamaru. He was eager to get back to Konoha and if they kept up this pace they would make it there by this afternoon. The mission was a success and had been accomplished sooner than anticipated, Kiba was certainly glad for this. He couldn't wait to see Hinata again, she had been on his mind a lot ever since he had left for the mission. He often wondered whether she had ever thought about him at all, if she had considered him or whether she was still head over heels for Naruto. Kiba was feeling rather positive about Hinata coming around but he didn't want to push her for an answer yet. "What do you think, Akamaru? Wait for her? Or just sweep her off her feet immediately?"

Akamaru barked.

"Wait for her huh? I thought so too...since she's so shy..." Kiba was saying, "But what if she thinks I'm not interested anymore? Damn, I'll have to ask Hana for some tips on this one."

Akamaru barked his approval again and the two continued on towards Konoha.

-X-

"N-need m-me?" Hinata stuttered, confused and still rather angry.

"Yeah. Spar with me."

"Why?"

"You're the only one who can see me," Sasuke said simply. Hinata had a bad feeling about this, if she sparred with him, it would look as if she were sparring with herself – her sanity was on the line here.

"Help me train to get stronger and maybe that will get me back in my body," Sasuke told her.

_NO! _Her mind screamed, _and what if training doesn't help?_

"I know a place where nobody will see us," Sasuke said.

Warning bells went off in Hinata's mind, she was not about to go off with him to train in a place where nobody could find them, that was like walking into a trap.

"It is safe and in Konoha," Sasuke said again, like he knew what she was thinking, "I used to train there when I lived here."

"I c-can't. I have my duties at the hospital," Hinata tried to say in a firm voice.

"Would you rather watch over my soulless body in that dreary hospital or help me train to get stronger and maybe wake up from that coma?"

Hinata felt guilty again, it was her job to help him recover, and he was proposing a rather unorthodox method of doing so in this very surreal situation. Hinata sighed softly, "I-I'll go see Tsunade-sama now."

Sasuke nodded his approval, face expressionless and he followed her to Tsunade's office in the Hokage building. Hinata tapped the door twice before Tsunade uttered a sharp "Come in!"  
Hinata walked inside timidly and Sasuke followed. "G-good morning Tsunade-sama."

"What brings you here, Hyuga?" Tsunade asked, her desk was littered with unfinished paperwork and mission reports.

"I...want to quit my job as Sasuke-kun's medic," Hinata said softly.

Tsunade looked grim, "Look, I know he is not waking up, and there is no need to feel defeated, he is looking much healthier every day, it's only a matter of time before he wakes up."

Sasuke snorted from where he was standing. Hinata gulped and continued on with the story that she had formulated in her mind on the walk to the office. "I wish to continue with my training and other missions, Tsunade-sama...I d-don't think being a m-medic is what I want."

"Oh?" Tsunade said with a raised eyebrow, "Very well, I'll put you back on the mission roster and let you know when a mission for you comes up. Good luck with your training and if you want to come back to work at the hospital the door is always open."

"T-thank you Tsunade-sama," Hinata said and she exited the office feeling down, she actually liked being a medic and helping people as opposed to going on missions and injuring other people. Hinata and Sasuke walked in silence to his secret training ground and once they were there, Hinata admired the beautiful clearing.

"Shall we begin?" Sasuke asked, facing her.

"O-okay," she said, getting into her Gentle Fist fighting stance. The two traded blows for a while and Hinata realised that she was very out of practice but as she got more into the training, it was all coming back to her. Sasuke also seemed a bit slow and unsteady with his kicks and punches, Hinata managed to defect all of them without much trouble. He stopped suddenly and Hinata's strike caught his left shoulder and he sank down to his knees, breathing heavily. Hinata quickly knelt down beside him, "A-are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he grunted, standing up, "Come."

Hinata got to her feet and they began trading blows again, her heart danced with satisfaction when she managed to evade all Sasuke's kicks and punches. He, however, wasn't doing so well, it was easy to catch him off guard and she was much faster. Finally, he collapsed on the grass, panting and looking worn out. Hinata bit her lip, this just couldn't be Sasuke at his top form at all. This just wasn't the top ninja of their class lying beaten at her hands. She walked tentatively towards him and slowly sank down beside him on the lush grass. They didn't speak and Sasuke lay there for some time with closed eyes and when his breathing relaxed, he said, "...need to get...stronger...again."

"I'll help you," Hinata whispered.

"My chakra...it's like I can't access it fully," Sasuke said, opening his eyes slowly.

"Y-you're still recovering. You will h-heal," Hinata reassured him.

Sasuke sat up slowly on the grass and clutched his shoulder where Hinata had hit him earlier.

"I see you've gotten stronger," he said in monotone, and he thought back to their academy days when she was just a shy girl who wasn't very strong, hitting the wooden targets as if she was afraid to hurt them. "And I've gotten weaker," he said flatly.

Hinata actually felt really sorry for him, "I-it's okay, this is just...temporary, I'm s-sure you'll be yourself again in no time – and much stronger than me," she said, trying to smile brightly.

Sasuke looked at her, his dark eyes were empty and defeated and Hinata was left wondering if he had already given up. It was easy to heal a body but how could you heal a soul?

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews so far! I noticed most people write stories where Sasuke is helping Hinata get stronger, so I just wanted to do something different and have her help him instead.**

**Please review this chapter and tell me what you think!**

**If you're in the mood for some laughs after reading this gloomy piece of work, you should check out "The Ninja All Stars Tournament" which I'm collaborating on with Inuyonas. **


	7. Intrigue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…**

**Chapter 7 – Intrigue**

**

* * *

**

_If you'd like to walk a while_

_We could waste the day_

_Follow me into the trees_

_I will lead the way_

_Bring some change up to the bridge_

_Bring some alcohol_

_There we'll make our final wish_

_Just before the fall_

_Still – The Foo Fighters_

_

* * *

_

Daylight gave way to twilight and the last rays of the sinking sun shone through the trees, giving the forest floor an orange glow. Sasuke Uchiha gazed upwards lost deep in thought, there was a peaceful, calm aura that surrounded him.

That same aura seemed to have enveloped Hinata because she was lying on her side, facing away from him, and she was fast asleep. He looked at her sleeping form and watched the way her body rose and fell gently with her breathing.

_Breathing…Am I even alive? _Sasuke wondered. He didn't sleep, he didn't feel the need for food and water. The things he did feel were surprisingly pain and weakness. _What else can I feel? _

He thought about what had changed from the moment he had decided to give up and slipped into a coma till the time this ethereal body separated from his original body. Would physical training help to overcome what he had become? He suddenly felt rather irritated that Hinata was asleep; she was supposed to help him and she was the only one who could.

He hated so much to be dependent on somebody other than himself but this time he was presented with no other choice. His silent contemplation of his circumstances quickly boiled over into frustration. He didn't want this, he wanted to either die or wake up, it was that simple.

But it wasn't.

The shadows were creeping in now, the sky changed again, strewn with pink and purple hues. Sasuke didn't mind staying here until night fell but Hinata needed to get home. She looked like she was in a deep sleep as not even the sudden squawking of crows disturbed her.

_One knock to the head ought to do it, _Sasuke thought, then he remembered that he was not dealing with Naruto here and he opted to gently shake her. She stirred but simply rolled over and continued to sleep. He shook her more roughly but she just moaned and swatted her hand in front of him as if to shoo him away.

"Wake up," he said, nudging her. She didn't look it but Sasuke realised that she was stubborn and not as meek as everyone thought. He leaned in closer to her face and shouted "Wake up!" in her ear.

She blinked her eyes groggily and sat up tiredly. She looked around, probably trying to make sense of her surroundings. It amused Sasuke slightly to see that she looked irritated. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Her jacket and undershirt rode up and Sasuke caught a sliver of pale, creamy skin. He immediately turned away and looked at an owl which was perched on a tree branch, observing them, or perhaps just Hinata.

He wondered if the animals could see him, they were known to be more perceptive than humans. "How are y-you feeling?"

Sasuke turned his attention back to her, she was looking concerned and guilty.

"Fine," he muttered, standing up. She too woke up from the ground and dusted her clothes and a few leaves and twigs that had somehow entangled themselves into her silky indigo hair. They walked through the trees while there was still some natural light left and then Hinata broke the silence, "Um…I don't think the t-training will help you to go b-back to your body," she said somewhat uncertainly.

"Hn." Sasuke said because he already considered that.

"B-but, if you still want to spar, I w-will help you."

"So that you can beat me up more?"

"N-no!"

Sasuke smirked, "I know you hate me, I see it in your eyes. You say you'll help me, you are kind to me, just because it's in your nature…but the truth is, you want me gone."

Hinata looked shocked and she put her head down to hide. Was it her shame? Guilt? Sadness? She looked up again, "I-I don't h-hate you."

"Hmm…"

"I h-hate what you did to N-Naruto-kun and Sakura-san…and all of us," she clarified, "B-but…I-I believe that people can change."

She smiled softly at the sky, "It's one of the things I learnt from Naruto-kun."

Sasuke was glancing at her from the corner of his eye and he noticed the blush that dusted her cheeks and her eyes were bright – and had none of the fear and contempt he was accustomed to seeing in them. She noticed him looking and gave him a small smile.

"Maybe," he said.

"I know you're a g-good person…you just made w-wrong decisions," she continued boldly.

Sasuke was trying to digest what she had just said, and it was true, when blinded by rage and so much hatred he lost track of who he was. He stopped suddenly while they were walking on the bridge, on the way to the Hyuga mansion.

He looked down at the river below curious if he could see his reflection on the surface of the water. And there it was, he looked pretty much ordinary. His reflection was joined by Hinata's, she had leaned over to see what he was looking at.

Quickly he turned away and continued walking, they were walking through the village and many people greeted Hinata, completely unaware of her companion.

* * *

"Where have you been all day?" Neji asked when Hinata got home.

"I…I was training," Hinata replied truthfully.

"Oh okay," Neji said and walked away. Hinata stared at his retreating form for a few seconds before going to her own room, followed closely by Sasuke. She closed the door behind him and then stood against it.

"What?" Sasuke asked, he was about to sit on her windowsill again and she was looking at him awkwardly.

"Um…"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"I…w-want to take a sh-shower."

"Oh."

Hinata was blushing, she never ever had a boy in her room before Sasuke. Even Neji didn't ever come in. Sasuke swiftly jumped out from her window and disappeared into the night. Hinata picked out her most conservative pyjamas to wear and then she stripped and stepped into the shower. She had to think of a way that she could help Sasuke for both their sakes. It was difficult since she promised him that she wouldn't tell anyone about him.

Maybe she could ask someone their thoughts on the matter without revealing that Sasuke was some kind of spirit that was following her around. Hinata still had some doubts in the back of her mind as to whether Sasuke was real.

She stepped tentatively out of the shower and peered into her room before entering it. She got dressed faster than usual and dried out her hair. There was a soft knock on her door and then it opened revealing one of the maids. "Hinata-sama, dinner is ready."

"Okay," Hinata said with a smile, she pulled on her robe and followed the maid. Her father, Hanabi and Neji as well as other Hyuga elders were already seated at the table. Hinata greeted them politely and sat down to eat. They ate in silence and Hinata was wondering whether Sasuke ate – if he could eat and whether she could manage to sneak some food into her room for him.

After dinner, one of the other servants came up and said that there was someone at the door for Hinata. Hinata was confused; who would want to see her this late? Her father was looking at her suspiciously but he didn't say anything.

She excused herself and went to see who was at the door.

"Hey Hinata!"

"Arf!"

"Kiba-kun! Akamaru!" Hinata said as Akamaru launched himself at her and began licking her face.

"He really missed you," Kiba said with a crooked grin on his face, "And so did I, of course!"

"Welcome back, I missed you too," Hinata said shyly, but she was happy that her friend was back. She ushered them inside and closed the door, they all stepped into the hall and Hinata went to get Kiba and Akamaru something to drink, while Kiba chatted to her family.

It was no big deal because Kiba and Shino came to her house quite often as they were on the same team. Neji got along quite well with Kiba and even her father didn't scowl at the sight of him anymore.

"So how are you?" Kiba asked, when all the Hyuga's had gone off to their own rooms.

"I'm okay…how was your mission?" Hinata asked.

"It was easy!" Kiba said. Hinata smiled, sometimes Kiba reminded her of Naruto, with his confidence and loudness.

"Have you seen Shino yet?" Hinata asked.

"Nope! I just arrived an hour ago and I wanted to see you first," Kiba said, looking directly into her eyes. Hinata felt her face heat up as she remembered his confession, he had come to her, but she didn't have an answer for him just yet.

* * *

Sasuke grew bored of visiting his unconscious form at the hospital where Ino, who had taken over Hinata's shift, was reciting to him poetry from a little book. Ino seemed rather bored herself and he didn't blame her. "When will you wake up, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked his body which lay still on the hospital bed. Ino slumped back on to a chair and put the book down on the nightstand. Sasuke considered doing something to scare Ino, like dropping the poetry book on to the floor or knocking over a vase of flowers but he decided against it. Sasuke figured two hours was enough time for Hinata to have had a shower and get dressed so he left the hospital and went back to the Hyuga mansion.

When he reached her window, he tapped on it just in case, but there was no answer. He jumped in and was greeted with an empty room. The scent of her soap and body lotion still lingered and Sasuke breathed it in.

He walked through her bedroom door and wandered down the hall, when he passed a Hyuga family member he realised that he was amongst many Hyuga, people who could probably see him if they activated their byakugan.

How Hinata was the only one who could see him without the byakugan was still a mystery.

He found her in the dining room and Kiba Inuzuka was with her. Hinata's eyes darted towards him and she began stuttering more than usual as she spoke to Kiba. "What do you keep looking at?" Kiba asked her and looked in the same direction.

"N-nothing," Hinata said.

"So let's go have ice cream tomorrow. I know you love it, and I'll get Shino to come along too!" Kiba said energetically.

"Okay," Hinata said, and furtively glanced at Sasuke and then she gave Kiba a glowing smile.

"Great!" Kiba said, grinning.

Sasuke had no idea why, but he felt slightly irritated again.

Akamaru finished lap up all the water that Hinata placed in the bowl for him and he turned around. Sasuke stared at the ninja hound and he was sure that it could see him because it started barking.

"What's wrong boy?" Kiba asked.

Akamaru continued to bark in Sasuke's direction and Hinata's eyes were wide with fright.

"What's there boy?"

* * *

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed thus far!**

**Please review this chapter and tell me what you think, if you have any ideas for this story I'd love to read them! **


	8. Coming Clean

**This chapter is dedicated to Masochisticmeliii, who read my fanfics and gave me the motivation and inspiration to start writing again…**

* * *

**Chapter 8 –Coming Clean  
**

_False perceptions_

_That brought forth these questions of_

_Truth, love and hope_

_Now that you're injuring_

_I'll carry you with me_

_Just please hold on_

_Disappear and dissolve_

_A weakening wall_

_Will one day fall_

_It's wise to sever our loss_

_I redefine pulse_

_Through your iris_

**Through the Iris – 10 Years**

* * *

"Who's there boy?" Kiba asked.

Akamaru continued to bark animatedly while Sasuke stared at the canine.

"An old classmate?" Kiba said, he looked to Hinata, confused.

"Akamaru must b-be tired," Hinata said quickly, trying not to look at Sasuke.

"Can you check? What if there is someone there?" Kiba said worriedly.

Hinata activated her byakugan and pretended to search around the room, "There's nothing h-here Kiba-kun…"

Kiba laughed and scratched Akamaru behind his ears, "You want to go home, boy?"

"Arf!"

Kiba turned to Hinata, and was suddenly looking serious, Hinata was afraid of this look. It was like the look he had given her on that night when he confessed to her. She glanced furtively at Sasuke who was leaning against the doorframe with a curious expression on his face.

"So…I'll see you tomorrow?" Kiba asked, uncertainty evident in his voice.

Hinata relaxed a little and nodded at him, smiling weakly. "Thanks for coming to see me, Kiba-kun," Hinata said as she lead Kiba and Akamaru outside.

Sasuke followed her and watched as Kiba leaned down and kissed her cheek, hopped on to Akamaru and rode off. Hinata stood outside for awhile, frozen in shock and confusion. She had not been expecting Kiba to do that. After what seemed like ages, she turned, with her head hung and passed by Sasuke wordlessly. He arched an eyebrow and followed her into her bedroom.

She seemed to be ignoring his presence as she sat at his favourite spot on her windowsill and looked out the window. Sasuke stood there and observed her; she seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, in a whisper, she said, "What would you have done?"

"Told him the truth," Sasuke said simply.

"I can't."

"But isn't this what Naruto did to you? Strung you along because he was afraid to tell you how he really feels?"

Hinata drew in her breath, Sasuke somehow knew what she was thinking. She looked at him with pale, wide eyes. Sasuke marvelled at how she looked spectral by sitting in the moonlight, wearing white traditional Hyuuga pyjamas, with the moonlight highlighting how her eyes shone in the dark.

He sat on the edge of her bed and watched her as she took to looking out her window again, her face looking pained yet thoughtful.

They were like two ghosts haunting this bedroom.

_I'm not a ghost if I'm not dead yet, _Sasuke reassured himself.

"I…I'll tell him," Hinata whispered finally.

"Tell him what?"

"The t-truth…"

"What is the truth?"

"That I love him like a brother."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Really? Even with Naruto out of the picture?"

"…Yes," Hinata said, sounding a bit hurt.

"So…tell me…who have you got the hots for then?"

He almost laughed out loud at the way her pale face suddenly became red and she turned away quickly, "N-nobody. I'm still…I'm still…"

"Trying to get over the idiot?" Sasuke finished for her. He sort of liked teasing her, it was fun getting a reaction out of her.

Hinata nodded and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeves. Clearly she was still having a hard time with this. Sasuke wondered how Sakura must have felt all times he openly rejected her. But she had gotten over it and so would Hinata. He wasn't one to go around comforting people and he sure wasn't going to start now.

He just let her be while he was lost in thoughts of his own. He wanted out of this mess. He would have preferred to die in battle than be helpless…vulnerable with only a girl who could see him…who could help him. He was never reliant on anyone, he detested it, but for some reason, he had to be near Hinata. It was a confusing feeling, and he couldn't quite grasp what it was. He tried to rationalise and found that the feeling was akin to the one he had felt as a little boy when he was around his mother.

Safe…and warm…it certainly was strange.

It was unseemly.

He wanted out.

He needed a way out.

There was only one possible way that occurred to him now and it would require her help.

* * *

Tense.

That was the only word to describe the atmosphere at the Konoha café where Hinata and Kiba were sitting. Sasuke was leaning against the wall, invisible to everyone else besides Hinata, and scowling more than usual. Hinata was playing with her fingers, something she hadn't done in a while, that sort of thing only arose when she was around Naruto or thinking about Naruto. Right now, he was the furthest thing from her mind. She needed a way to find the courage to deal with the situation at hand.

"Shino is late!" Kiba said, with a laugh, "He must have forgotten that he had to be here."

Hinata smiled, but she knew the truth. Shino was never going to come because Kiba had set this up so that they could be alone. So that she could tell him her answer. The answer that she knew, but couldn't bear to say out loud because despite everything, it would put a strain on a really great friendship.

She found herself looking at Sasuke. In spite of his alarming presence, it was also comforting that he was there. She was not alone, it was odd, but he was like some kind of pillar of strength to her ever since that weird dream that she had because he was unabashedly straightforward in the advice he gave her. He didn't bother to sugar-coat the truth.

"So…" Kiba began, and Hinata dreaded the words that were about to follow.

"What're you having? I could eat ten sundae's!" Kiba said, grinning and Hinata had to grin back at Kiba's silliness.

"I'll have just one strawberry sundae," Hinata said with a giggle. Kiba signalled the waiter and in no time the two were indulging in ice cream and much of the tenseness had evaporated. Kiba kept her entertained with all sorts of funny stories about crazy ninja's on the mission he had been assigned on.

Hinata swallowed the last bit of her ice cream feeling much more cheerful than she had when she first entered the café. "Thank you, Kiba-kun."

"Anytime Hinata! Oh, wait, you got some ice cream on your face," he laughed, and with his thumb, he brushed a trail of melted ice cream from the edge of her mouth.

Hinata froze. The action was so foreign. It didn't feel right to her…

"You're so beautiful when you blush," Kiba muttered and he reached for her hand that was resting on the table. Hinata could barely breathe. This was it. This was her chance to do the right thing and tell the truth.

"Do you remember the night before I left?"

"Y-yes, w-when Sasuke-kun was b-brought back."

"Yeah…remember what I told you before that?"

Hinata nodded, looking at anything besides Kiba until she found Sasuke's dark eyes.

They were emotionless as he glared at her and then looked upwards. Hinata knew what she had to do.

"K-Kiba-kun," at this moment, all the sugar she had consumed was starting to make her feel nauseous. Kiba was looking at her so expectantly that it made her heart lurch.

"I-I-I c-can't," Hinata choked. Kiba looked concerned and tried to cup her face, but she pushed his hand away. "I l-love you too…but I love you like a brother…you are so s-special to me, Kiba-kun…"

Kiba backed away from her, his face once soft became a mask of fury, "It's still him isn't it!"

His voice was so loud and harsh, it scared Hinata. She shrank into her chair and shook her head sadly, "I-it's not about that at a-all…"

"Yeah right Hinata. You need to stop pining over him and get over him already. He's nothing but an idiot and I know you know that!"

"D-don't say that Kiba-kun!"

"It's true!" he yelled loud enough for people nearby them to start staring. Hinata was already close to tears, this was not the reaction she had anticipated. Where was the sweet, understanding, kind-hearted Kiba that she had come to know? Did he finally have enough?

"I can make you so happy, just know that you don't have to be like this anymore."

"I-I am happy."

"You're not fooling anyone, Hinata."

And with that, he awoke and left the café. Hinata sat there in silent shock, taking deep breaths and willing herself not to breakdown in front of a café full of people, and in front of Sasuke no less. He took Kiba's seat in front of her and had something that looked like concern in his eyes, but Hinata could have just imagined it because it was replaced with his disinterested gaze once more.

Hinata rose wordlessly and left the café, as if in a trance, expressionless and not a single tear had escaped her pale eyes. Without even thinking about it, her feet lead her to her favourite training ground where she sat beside a log that she had almost punched into oblivion not too long ago.

When she finally found her voice again, "What if I made a mistake?"

He didn't answer, but she didn't need him to. It was so easy to just air her thoughts around him. Just to have someone that was there to listen.

"I'm being selfish…I-I-I think I'm making up excuses not to give Kiba-kun a chance because…I still think that I – I still have a chance with Naruto-kun…"

"Do you really think that?"

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore," she said, anxiety was creeping into her voice.

"Neither do I," Sasuke said, meeting her eyes, "For me this existence is purposeless…"

Hinata looked at him with fear in her eyes because he had the look she had seen once before, the hollow, soulless look that she could not bear to see.

"You will get better."

"I can't wait anymore…so I need you to help me."

"Anything…" Hinata said softly, eager for a chance to help somebody instead of inflicting pain, hopeful for a chance to do something right.

"Kill me."

"W-what?"

Hinata was taken aback, he had to be joking, there was no possible way she could do that.

"You heard me, Hyuga. Pull the plug, kill me, end my existence. Put me out of my misery."

"I can't… I won't!"

"Why not?"

"Naruto-kun…Sakura-chan…everyone, they would hate me! I-I would hate myself."

Sasuke looked bored, as if he were expecting this type of response from her, "It is what I want."

Hinata shook her head fervently, "It's not right, S-Sasuke-kun. Tsunade-sama said that you are healed, you will wake up."

"Yet here I am. Tell me, do you want me around you like this forever?"

Hinata opened her mouth to speak and then paused, then slowly, "I…I am starting to not mind…"

It was true, she had become at ease about the way he had suddenly invaded her life.

Sasuke looked a little surprised by that response. His face grew cold, "I don't care anymore. You _will _help me out with this. It is what I want."

Hinata stared at him in disbelief, he seemed so adamant about it but she didn't know if she had the strength to go through with it.

"No one will have to know that it was you. We'll go after midnight, Ino is usually passed out by then…"

Hinata was terrified at the prospect of killing Sasuke Uchiha, even if he himself had asked for it.

* * *

"Affirmative," a deep voice said as two figures darted out into the darkness. Only shadows could be seen, stealthily leaping into the Konoha hospital building. They paused next to a window that was semi-open, with a dim light emanating from within. A blonde girl was sitting at the side of the targets bed and dozing with her head lolling about. The two figures looked at each other and what they were thinking could easily be communicated with stares – this was going to be too easy. They entered the room swiftly and the girl stirred, but before she could wake up, a blow was delivered to the back of head so that she fell forward, unconscious.

The two figures stood on either side of the hospital bed and gazed down at the occupant.

"So this is the famous Uchiha Sasuke," the first figure said, in a whispery voice that sounded menacing.

The second figure unearthed a jar that was filled with a slightly yellowing liquid and a case filled with all sorts of medical instruments. A scalpel was removed from the case and he held it up towards the light, watching how the blade gleamed forebodingly. He then soaked a cotton ball in disinfectant and cleansed the blade before proceeding to hold one of Sasuke's eyes open.

"The Sharingan will be ours."

A low, ominous laugh sounded from the second figure as the cool blade touched the warm skin under Sasuke's right eye.

A careful incision was made and blood lazily trickled down his cheek.

"Wait."

The blade paused and blood carelessly flowed out of the wound, onto clean white covers. Tentative footsteps were heard outside the door and then they stopped.

* * *

"W-what's wrong?" Hinata whispered, she was about to enter Sasuke's room at the hospital, but stopped short when she heard him groan. He had his hands over his face and he was slightly bent over.

"Something…"

"What?" Hinata whispered more frantically this time.

"Just…just go in, now, and do it Hinata."

Hinata took a deep breath and then turned the handle of the door and walked in, but the moment that she did, she realised that something was very wrong. Ino was lying sprawled on the hospital floor, the smell of disinfectant with a metallic tinge hung thickly in the air.

Being a ninja on the battlefield, and surrounded by it often, Hinata realised the metallic smell was that of blood and she looked for the source. She drew in her breath when she saw Sasuke bleeding. She turned around to try and locate his other form when she was tackled by a brutal force and sent to the ground.

"What do we have here?" one of her assailants asked.

"It's just a kid, let's take care of her quickly and get on with the job," the second one said.

"What do you want here?" Hinata said, adrenalin and her fight response kicking in.

They began to laugh, which only fuelled her rage. Gathering her chakra, she dealt a blow to the nearest one and sent him crashing against the wall. The other figure lunged for her and she dodged, while aiming a kick at his legs. She missed and he punched her, connecting with her shoulder.

Hinata didn't feel any pain; only fury, every disappointment, all her confusion, frustration and sadness was being channelled into rage.

Sasuke was slumped against the door, unseen by the assailants and struggling with something on his own as he watched Hinata take on two ninja by herself. It was like watching through a haze, like how it had been before he manifested this form. He couldn't even help her.

This helplessness was killing him. Other nations must have found out about his condition, and now they were going to be flocking in to get a stab at his eyes, to gain power.

He couldn't blame them. Power. It was so alluring, so seductive.

Meanwhile, Hinata was using her Gentle Fist against her attackers and she seemed to be putting up a good fight, even against two of them but one of the figures reached for another blade and aimed it at her. She barely managed to evade it and it grazed her arm.

While she was momentarily distracted by the pain, one of them gripped her around the neck and threw her against the machines that Sasuke was still hooked up to. A loud beeping sound ensued, and through much of the chaos and noise, the hospital staff on duty were at the door, horrified at the scene.

The assailants, sensing that they were outnumbered, fled out of the open window. Tsunade stepped into the room looking enraged. "Get a team ready, I want them found," she shouted and Shizune hurried to go and assemble a team.

Tsunade bent down and examined Ino to see if she was okay, while another medic tended to Sasuke's machine and wounds. Once she found that Ino was just unconscious, she looked over to Hinata, who was bruised and bleeding.

"What happened here, Hyuga?"

"T-they tried to do something to Sasuke-kun…"

"Did you fight them by yourself? What were you doing here anyway?" Tsunade was firing away questions at her while some medics were fussing over her.

"Y-yes…I-Ino was unconscious…" Hinata shook off the medics and looked around frantically for Sasuke.

He was still slumped against the door, holding his hand up to his face, which was slowly disappearing. He smirked. _This is it._ His head was feeling light and his vision was growing even more clouded.

He cast one last look at Hinata, she was staring at him with fear and shock in her eyes, also noticing that he was disappearing. She tried to stand up but was still unsteady on her feet and fell back down, wincing as pain shot through her body.

"Hinata, what is going on?" Tsunade asked her.

"S-Sasuke," Hinata said, trying to stand again. She limped towards the bed and the medic moved aside. She looked over at him and touched his face with her blood stained hand then clasped his hand in hers. She looked again towards the door and then around the room, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The tears that she had been trying to hold in for a while finally escaped. She didn't care that the room was full of people including the Hokage, she didn't care that she was crying over Sasuke, the tears falling onto his face, making it look like he had been crying.

Sasuke had wanted to disappear, so why did it hurt so much?

She thought that eventually she would be able to help him but she had failed.

"Hey!" one of the medics yelled, breaking her out of her reverie.

'What is it?" Tsunade snapped.

"He…he moved!"

Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she looked down and saw him stir slightly, groaning. She felt him squeeze her hand until finally, onyx irises looked up into pale lavender ones.

* * *

**A/N: Whoa! It's been months since my last update…I apologise and I hope nobody has given up on this story because I haven't.**

**I'm sorry if it seems rushed in any way, or if things are unclear, or if it sucked. I was just eager to get this out. So I hope that it wasn't too lame...  
**

**So if you have any questions or complaints, you can message me or review and I'll gladly respond!**


	9. Healing

**A/N: Thank you for all the inspiring reviews. I hope this chapter does not disappoint…**

**Chapter Nine – Healing**

_I can feel you all around me_

_Thickening the air I'm breathing_

_Holding on to what I'm feeling_

_Savouring this heart that's healing_

_All Around Me, Flyleaf_

* * *

The face that swam in and out of Hinata's dreams was an achingly familiar one, it always arrived in the dead of night and never lingered for very long. She had become accustomed to seeing it and felt content as it gazed down at her, even if it was just for a few moments. When she awoke, groggy and confused from the pain killers and other medication, she wondered if perhaps he really did come, and it wasn't just a dream.

She sighed dramatically one morning and yearned to get out of the uncomfortable hospital bed. Unfortunately, her injuries were still healing and she was under strict orders from Tsunade not to leave until she was completely healed. Friends and family routinely came to visit her, and they were all making her out to be some kind of heroine who had managed to save Sasuke Uchiha. Even her father couldn't stop mentioning how proud she had made him.

But that was nothing compared to the praise she had received from Naruto and Sakura. They had been absolutely ecstatic about their friends return to good health. Hinata was glad that she could make Naruto happy in this way. It gave her a kind of inner peace. But, when he had looked at her with sparkling admiration in his gorgeous blue eyes, it made her heart lurch painfully.

"H-how is he?" Hinata had managed to ask, to distract herself from what Naruto still managed to do to her heart.

"Grumpy, moody and…yeah! Back to his usual self!" Naruto said with a laugh.

Hinata closed her eyes and smiled and tried to picture Sasuke's face, the way it had appeared to her in her dreams. There was always the same look in his dark eyes, something like concern.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking on her door. "Incoming!" said Kiba as he and Shino entered the room.

Ever since the incident, Kiba had visited every day, and apologised for shouting at her and acting like a 'jealous jerk' as he put it. Today, he even greeted Naruto with a grin, unlike with a scowl as he usually did lately, which confused Naruto because the two had always been good friends even though they sometimes were competitive with one another.

"Hello, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun," Hinata greeted them warmly.

"You are looking well today," Shino noted.

"Yup she is! You will be out of here in no time!" Kiba said enthusiastically.

"I hope so…I don't like hospital food…" Hinata said.

"Hey, I'll eat it if you don't want it!" Naruto offered, grinning until Sakura grabbed his arm.

"No you won't! Hinata needs to eat it so that she can get better!" she reprimanded him, "I think we should leave before a nurse comes in here complaining that there's too many people, let's go visit Sasuke-kun."

"Okay! See you later, Hinata!"

"Bye Hinata, take care!"

She watched them leave and heard their footsteps disappearing down the hallway as they bickered about something.

"I…I want to see him…"

"Who?" Kiba asked.

"Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Dark eyes were turned towards the ceiling, staring blankly at the dull, slightly peeling and greying paint. His gaze shifted slightly towards the door when he heard footsteps approaching the door. He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep because he wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody.

The door didn't open.

Instead, there were hushed whispers on the other side. There was a faint scowl visible on Sasuke's face. Whoever it was, he just wanted them to get in and out of his room as quickly as possible.

He himself wished nothing more than to get out of this hellhole but he was being kept in the hospital until he regained his strength and did all of his rehabilitation exercises.

He despised that Ino was the one who was in charge of his rehabilitation exercises. She was always so loud, and annoying and full of unnecessary energy, reminiscent of another blonde. Sasuke's scowl deepened when he thought of Naruto – he had no idea what to say to his best friend so he had just pretended to be sleeping when he or Sakura came around. Most of the time, he really did fall asleep while pretending and spent the nights being wide awake.

He often spent the time wandering around the hospital and stopping by to check on Hinata – the girl who had saved his life. He didn't know whether to feel grateful or resentful for that.

The first night he came by her room, the night after he had woken up, he felt guilty when he saw bruises decorate her porcelain skin. The nights after that, he merely watched her sleep, still feeling like some kind of ghost. _Why am I still lingering around her? Do I feel indebted towards her? Heh._

The people outside his door still hadn't finished their whispered conversation.

He scoffed, turned over on his side facing the window and stared outside so that if anyone entered, they would not be able to discern if he was awake. The emerald leaves on the trees of Konoha were being ruffled by the mild breeze and it felt refreshing on his face. He wanted desperately to get out there and start training again, taking in the outdoors, going on missions and living like a ninja again.

He suddenly stopped and wondered where all those positive thoughts were coming from.

Meanwhile, the conversation outside his door was not of the positive nature. Before Sakura could turn the handle on the door, Naruto put his hand over hers and stopped her from opening the door. Her green eyes looked in to his questioningly. He looked rather serious and Sakura had only seen him look this serious a few times in her life.

"Do you still love him?"

Sakura blinked, "I – who?"

"Sasuke."

Naruto was staring at her so intensely that she couldn't even think straight. Since Sasuke had woken up, she had been relived, and ecstatic, just like everybody was. She didn't stop to think about how she felt for Sasuke. She knew that she loved Naruto, but their relationship was still fresh.

But Sakura knew how she felt.

She felt scared.

Scared and confused.

"Yes…or no?"

Sakura looked away and but her lip, then gazed back at him with tears brimming in her eyes, she nodded slowly. Naruto didn't look angry or shocked, he just looked grave and he looked down at his feet. When he looked up again, Sakura was surprised to find him smiling, albeit painfully.

"I knew this would happen, but it's okay, you are free to choose!"

He was all smiles but Sakura knew him quite well now, and she knew that he was hurting. She also knew that she would have to make a choice soon and it wasn't going to be an easy one.

She finally opened the door and they walked in, no longer hand in hand as they usually did.

Sasuke's eyes were closed and his breathing steady, but his face had a slightly irritated and pinched look which was unusual for someone who was sleeping.

"Thinking what I'm thinking?" Naruto asked Sakura as they looked at their friend.

"Yup he's pretending again."

"You have to talk to us sooner or later, you can't keep pretending to sleep!" Naruto yelled and jabbed Sasuke in his side.

The dark haired boy's eyes flew open, and he looked at them with a scowl.

"Good, you're awake," Sakura said chirpily, with a huge smile on her face.

"Unfortunately," Sasuke grumbled.

"Hey! That's no way to talk," said Naruto.

"He's right, we're just concerned about you, so stop acting this way and talk to us…we've been talking to you every day since you've been here!"

Sasuke sighed, "…Thanks…Naruto…Sakura."

_Guess it is time to stop hiding and putting this off… _"Listen, I'm sorry. Sorry about everything I put you through…put the village through."

"We know…Sasuke. You helped us win, Madara has been defeated, thanks to you…" Naruto was saying as Sakura, in a flood of sudden tears, wrapped her arms around an awkward-looking Sasuke, and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his hair.

"I'm so glad you're back, I missed you so, so much, Sasuke-kun, I'm so happy that you're okay now…" she said between sobs.

Sasuke was at loss for what to say or do so he looked at Naruto and was mildly surprised by the look on his face.

He looked as if he had just gotten punched in the gut. His mouth quivered and his eyes looked like those on a man who was defeated.

_Good, _Sasuke found himself thinking, _Now you know how Hinata felt…wait…why am I even thinking of that?_

Sasuke eased Sakura off him, and she stood, still silently sobbing and wiping her tears.

"Go get cleaned up," Sasuke told her, so he could have a moment alone with Naruto. Sakura left and Sasuke fixed Naruto with a casual glance. "Scared she's going to leave you for me?"

Naruto looked at him in disbelief, "How did you know we were even together?"

"I know things," Sasuke said dismissively, "Point is, you don't have to worry."

"I was not worried!"

"Hn. I can see it on your face, you're freaking out about it. Bet you're even wishing now, that I never woke up from that coma, or even, wishing that you didn't bring me back…"

"You are such a bastard, I don't even know what she sees in you," Naruto said scathingly.

Sasuke merely chuckled, "Glad to know that I can still wind you up."

"Heh!" Naruto said, grinning again, "I'm still better than you!"

"Maybe…but just know, I'll always be your challenger, your rival…"

"Because we're best friends."

"Yeah, whatever…" Sasuke said, "But, Sakura's safe, she'll always be yours."

Naruto looked sheepish and then a mischievous grin sprung up on his face, "Just so you don't seem too lonely, and since I am your best friend, I will make it my mission to find you a girlfriend!"

"Please don't…"

"I know! Ino! She always takes care of you, and she has always been part of your fan club!" noticing the look on Sasuke's face, Naruto moved on to his next candidate, "How about…Tenten?"

"Go away Naruto, the painkillers are kicking in…"

"Liar! You're not on any painkillers! Okay, maybe Ayame? Yes, I think an older woman would be perfect for you!"

Sasuke groaned and covered his head with the pillow.

"Or maybe Kurenai-sensei, she's so hot, but she has a kid, do you like kids?"

Luckily, Sasuke was rescued by Sakura a few moments later, as she came and practically had to drag Naruto from the hospital room. Sasuke smirked when he saw them hold hands as they left the room.

* * *

Hinata's attempts to visit Sasuke had been thwarted by her visitors all day. When she eventually did get some alone time, her medication had kicked in and she was knocked out. When she opened her eyes again, it was already dark outside and the hospital room was a cold, lonely and scary place. It reminded her of those eerie late nights when she was alone caring for a comatose Sasuke.

She lifted herself up from her bed, ignoring the aches and pains, and got to her feet. An overwhelming surge of dizziness made her want to lie back in bed but for some reason, her feet carried her forward and through her door. She scanned the immediate area for any hospital staff before she set off.

The dim lights were not comforting, they spooked her by creating creepy shadows on the wall. The floor was ice cold as she had not worn her slippers. As she crept along the hall, it suddenly occurred to her that she did not know what room Sasuke had been transferred to after his last one was trashed. It was risky, but she knew where the patient records were kept, she could just go and check his file. She was walking forward with determination until she heard footsteps coming her way.

Her heart began to beat erratically as panic took over her. She knew that logically it would be one of the medics but after what happened with the intruders the other night, she was on edge. She heard that they had not been caught yet. Hinata was so afraid that they might come back and finish the job they started, which was all the more reason she had to make sure that Sasuke was okay. A little voice in her head told her that she was just being silly, after all, Sasuke was awake now. There was no way he was going to need her to babysit him or rescue him anymore.

After this, they were probably done with each other and would go back to how they always were…never speaking, never interacting. Hinata didn't know if she would be okay with that. She was well aware that Sasuke was not the kind of guy that would hang out with her or talk to her when she was feeling sad or bored, unlike Kiba or Shino.

The footsteps were getting closer and Hinata froze, heart still thudding madly against her ribcage. A tall shadow loomed over her and she found herself face to face with the object of her recent thoughts.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked harshly.

Hinata's voice froze in her throat but Sasuke stood there, waiting for her to answer.

"W-water," she said the first thing that came to mind, "You?"

"Same," he shrugged, "Let's go."

"Where?"

He looked at her, "To get water."

"Oh." Hinata uttered, feeling stupid. They walked side-by-side.

"I know that we're probably not allowed in the kitchens or even out of bed, so where are you really going?"

Hinata didn't say anything.

"Planning an escape?" he prompted.

"N-no…"

"Hn."

"What about y-you? Were you coming to see…m-me?" Hinata ventured.

Sasuke looked mildly taken aback.

"I wasn't dreaming then…you do come every night…"

Sasuke had an annoyed look on his face and Hinata was pleased to see that his pale cheeks were faintly pink.

"I was just checking if you were…alright. Why were you coming to see me?" he asked, smirking.

"I w-wasn't…" Hinata said, then she figured it was no use lying about it, or trying to hide it, "The same. I just wanted to see if y-you were alright."

"Hn. Well, I am. So you can go back to bed."

"N-no, I need time out from there."

"Yeah? You look very worn out to me."

"I-I'm fine."

But even as she said those words, Hinata was feeling faint and her body and head were aching unpleasantly. Her knees were feeling progressively weaker as she walked further on with Sasuke watching her like a hawk. Hinata didn't want to appear weak in front of him, not after she had done such a good job proving how strong she was.

Unfortunately, her will power and strength didn't hold out as she found her knees wobbling and as quick as a flash, Sasuke's arms were around her to hoist her up. Hinata looked into his eyes as he caught her, but there was no smug look, his face was clouded over with concern. He picked her up, effortlessly and Hinata began to blush and every inch of her body was burning from his grasp.

"P-please don't," Hinata stammered, "You're still hurt too."

"Hn, I'm better. Consider this part of my rehabilitation training."

Hinata giggled even though Sasuke probably wasn't joking. They made their way to her room in no time and Sasuke laid her down gently and even threw the covers over her. He refused to look at her through it all, frowning but Hinata could see the hint of compassion on his shadowed face. Without a second glance, he turned away to walk out of the room.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes?" He didn't turn around.

"Good night."

"Night…"

The door closed and Hinata found herself smiling as sleep took over.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, yes, boring chapter…please forgive me! It's just a build up for what's to come. I promise no more gloomy hospital scenes…**

**Thank you for reading, please tell me your thoughts in a review or a private message if you prefer!**


	10. Confusion

It's been awhile, since I can say

That I wasn't addicted, and

It's been awhile, since I can say

I love myself, and

It's been awhile, since I've gone and

Fucked things up

Just like I always do

And it's been awhile,

But all that shit seems to disappear

When I'm with you…

It's been awhile ~ Staind

Chapter 10 - Confusion

-X-

Muscles stretched taut under pale skin that was slick with sweat as his back arched and breathing grew heavier. His erratic heart rate grew more steady as he sank down onto his back and gazed up at the wood panel ceiling. He was living in a newly built apartment in Konoha, it was comfortable and he had plenty of indoor training space. The downside was that he lived closer to Naruto than ever.

He tried to do more sit-ups, but after another twenty it was becoming difficult to breathe and he had stop to rest again. _Not enough…_ he thought, to get back into his prime as a ninja, he would have to work much harder. Every day he pushed himself even further, trying to get stronger but to his displeasure, his progress was slow.

His outer strength would be easy to gain back in no time at all. It was his inner strength that was suffering. His will was weakened, he couldn't deny that. Sasuke thought he had it all figured out. In his life, there was no room for uncertainty. When he was little, he knew that he wanted to surpass Itachi. After the Uchiha massacre, he knew that he wanted to kill Itachi and revive his clan. Later on, without a doubt, he had wanted to crush Konoha.

This time, he felt uneasy, indecisive and lost.

Get stronger, aid Konoha, go on missions… and then what?

He had no answer for that.

Become stronger than Naruto? That could be a plan. But surely there was more to life than that, more than hostility, anger and lust for power? He thought back to a time in his life when there was no negativity. He pictured himself as a little boy, being pampered and adored by his mother. Things had been perfect back then, but childhood innocence was never meant to last. He found himself thinking about his parents; what were their lives like? Had they been happy and fulfilled. From what he could he remember, his parents seemed to have loved each other even though his father was often aloof and cold while his mother had been warm and caring.

Sasuke's train of thought was interrupted by a soft, tentative tapping on his door. He sighed and lay there for a few seconds while contemplating whether or not he should answer the door. People that usually came around to see him were Tsunade or Shizune with their threatening looks. He was uncertain whether the looks were because they knew he was pushing himself in his training or if they thought he was one day going to betray Konoha again. Kakashi and Iruka often came by to see how he was doing and Naruto arrived almost every day with his annoying antics.

Maybe this time it would actually be someone he wanted to see. The person tapped softly again before he could get the door and when he opened it, Sakura stood there with a straw basket covered with blue cloth.

"Hey Sasuke-kun!" she said cheerily.

Sasuke returned the greeting and stepped aside so that she could come in. She put the basket down on the table. "So how are you?"

"Fine…you?"

"I'm great! I brought these muffins that I baked. They have a little extra something in them to help you gain your strength back!"

"Thanks…" Sasuke said, lifting the cloth up to get a better look inside. They looked like normal muffins and he was rather hungry so he picked up one and took a bite. He chewed slowly and almost choked because of the harsh, unpleasant, bitter flavour. Sasuke calmly walked to the kitchen, spat out the piece of muffin into the trashcan and drank a glass of water. He looked at the muffin in his hand and then threw that into the trash too.

When he returned, Sakura was smiling brightly, "Did you like it."

Sasuke nodded and Sakura was quick to respond with, "Well have another, have as many as you like, I made them all for you."

Sasuke looked at the open basket to see that there were probably more than a dozen in there, he made a mental note to give them to Naruto when he came around later. Sasuke was actually mildly surprised that Sakura came without Naruto, they usually came together.

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

He immediately noticed a change in Sakura's cheerful demeanour as soon as Naruto's name was mentioned. "He is away on a mission, he will be back tomorrow."

Sakura grew fidgety and looked uncomfortable. Sasuke was instantly reminded of an indigo-haired girl that he hadn't seen in a long time. "There is something I have to tell you…Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke froze, he had a feeling what followed her words was not going to be a good thing. He saw her trembling and he remembered that time, four years ago when she had tried to stop him from leaving. Back then, she had said words to him that he was not prepared for, that he was not ready to hear.

"Sasuke-kun…I…I…"

_Don't say it… _Sasuke thought, looking at her struggling.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered.

_Great, she came to her senses,_ Sasuke thought, feeling less tense.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "I know this is wrong of me but…but I love you Sasuke."

Sasuke grew cold. Three simple words were so terrifying to hear.

"I've loved you forever, I can't change that. I can't change the way I feel about you. I – I'm with Naruto, and I love him too, he has done so much for me, for us, for the village, but at the same time I can't stop thinking about you…"

"Shut up."

Sakura looked taken aback and hurt. Sasuke, although grudgingly, cared for both Naruto and Sakura. He was sure that he would never feel the same way about Sakura that Naruto felt for her. Sasuke knew that the only way to end this was to be harsh, and make it clear to Sakura that his feelings for her would not be anything beyond friendship. And he was certainly not going to betray Naruto in this way after all the fool had done for him.

"You love me? So what next, want me to be your boyfriend? You going to ditch your golden boy for a criminal like me?" Sasuke asked her condescendingly.

Sakura looked guilty and pained but she walked towards him while he remained rooted to the spot.

"I'm just so confused," she whispered.

"Well I am not," Sasuke said roughly, staring into her teary green eyes angrily, "I do not love you, Sakura."

-X-

"Neji-niisan! Those aren't for us!" Hinata scolded her cousin as he grabbed some of the cinnamon rolls she just got fresh out of the oven after baking all morning.

"They're delicious," he said, ignoring her and eating one. Hinata pouted and quickly snatched up the rest to put into a container before Hanabi or her father arrived to raid the cinnamon rolls. Naturally, the whole Hyuuga mansion began to smell mouth watering after Hinata had been baking.

"So who are they for?" Neji asked.

"For Sasuke-kun," Hinata mumbled. She hadn't even seen him yet after they had been discharged from the hospital week ago. He had left before her and when she eventually got home, her father made her stay in bed for a few days longer and never let her leave the house because he was so worried. Hinata guessed that Sasuke wouldn't come around to see her because he was practically confined to her home for the days when he was nothing but a wandering spirit. Hinata was still in awe and shock over that and hadn't told anybody, not even Neji or Kiba about it. The more time passed by, the more surreal it became. That was why she needed to go to Sasuke and clarify that she didn't dream the entire thing up.

"You aren't going over there alone are you?" Neji asked.

"I am," Hinata said, arranging the cinnamon rolls carefully.

"I don't trust him."

"I do," Hinata said simply.

"I'll come with you."

"Oh you don't have to, Neji-niisan, I'll be fine. I'm just going to give this to him and I'll be back home."

Neji didn't look convinced, but he sighed, "Okay."

Hinata smiled at him, "See you later."

Hinata was almost out of the gate to the Hyuuga mansion with her parcel in hand when she realised that she had no idea where Sasuke lived. Her face heated up as she went back inside to ask Neji. Luckily he was still rummaging around in the kitchen looking for something to eat.

"Uhmm, Neji-niisan, do you know where Sasuke-kun lives?"

Neji looked as though he was about to laugh, but he didn't and then he explained to her.

_He lives that close to Naruto-kun…maybe I should take some to him too…_Hinata thought, biting her lip. Then she decided against it. She didn't want to show up at Naruto's house with her cinnamon rolls in case Sakura was there.

After all this time, Hinata still wasn't used to seeing them as a couple. A small part of her was hoping now that Sasuke was awake, Sakura would still have her crush on him and leave Naruto. Hinata hated herself for thinking something like that but sometimes it was very difficult to control thoughts of jealousy. Distracted by her errant thoughts, Hinata had forgotten on which side of the street Neji said Sasuke was living. Standing awkwardly in the middle of the street, she desperately tried to recall what Neji told her. Giving up, she decided to ask one of the civilians passing by.

"Excuse m-me, do you know where Uchiha Sasuke lives?"

"You mean the traitor? Right over there," the ill-tempered villager said, pointing to the apartment on the left of the street. Hinata frowned, it was clear that a lot of people were still sceptical about Sasuke's return to Konoha. There was still many in the village who were going to be prejudiced against him. Hinata wasn't one of those people. After everything, she truly believed that he was in the process of a great positive change. Hinata walked slowly to the apartment, she hadn't thought yet about what she was going to say to him or how she was going to ask him about his time as a wandering spirit. She climbed up the stairs, clutching the container with the cinnamon rolls tightly and before reaching his door, she took a deep breath.

-X-

Tears rolled down Sakura's cheeks. "How can you say that? And after everything…"

"How can you do this to Naruto, after everything?" Sasuke shot back, close to losing his temper with her.

"Naruto wants me to be happy, and I'll be happy if I'm with you," Sakura whispered.

Sasuke's fists were clenched at his sides, he was getting so angry that he had no idea what to do.

"I know it's so selfish of me, but I have really tried to forget you and move on with Naruto and I just can't, Sasuke-kun."

She was now so uncomfortably close to him that he could see the tear stains on her cheeks, she put a warm hand on his bare chest, stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

Sasuke's eyes went wide with shock for a moment and he noticed a pair of pale eyes look at him from outside his window and then look away fast. Sasuke pushed Sakura away so roughly that she stumbled. "Get out!" Sasuke yelled, still in disbelief over what Sakura had done.

"Sasuke-kun…please," Sakura pleaded with him.

"Get out!" Sasuke yelled.

Sakura stared at him with terror reflected in her eyes as he walked over to the door and swung it open. Hinata was standing against the balcony, looking scared and unsure what to do with herself. Sakura stepped out of the door, shaking, with tears pouring uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Don't you dare come back here," Sasuke said in a low, menacing voice, "And tell him what you've done… or I will."

He watched as Sakura turned her back to him and ran down the stairs.

Sasuke tried to calm down, he couldn't let things like this get him worked up too much. Still, he couldn't believe that Sakura would go so far as to kiss him. The only way he would ever forgive her for doing this was if she told Naruto the truth and tried to work things out between them. He knew that Sakura and Naruto had managed to forgive him for things far worse, but this matter was just on another level. Something that could destroy bonds that were already so fragile.

"I-I'll come back another time," Hinata gulped.

Sasuke turned towards her, in his rage he almost forgot that she was still standing there.

"No, stay," he said quietly, feeling calmer and the anger dissipating at the sight of her.

"Are…are you sure?"

"Yeah," he went back inside and she followed him. He closed the door after her, and sank down on a futon.

"I b-brought this for you," Hinata said, uncertainty clouded her voice.

Sasuke motioned for her to sit down next to him and she complied stiffly, setting the container on her lap. "What is it?" he asked tiredly.

"Cinnamon rolls."

"I don't eat sweets."

"O-oh…I didn't know," Hinata said, a disappointed look on her face.

"But I'm hungry, so I guess I'll try it," Sasuke said, taking it from her. He opened it and the spicy, sweet smell entered his nostrils. He had to admit that it smelled good, he picked one up and bit into it. It was soft and tender and melted into his mouth with just the right amount of sweetness not to make him sick. An "mmm" escaped his lips.

"So you like it?" Hinata asked with a slight smile.

"It's good," Sasuke said, with a smirk, "Guess I'll be taking them all then."

Hinata's cheeks turned pink and she looked down at her lap. They sat in comfortable silence for a while as Sasuke digested what happened between him and Sakura.

Hinata had accidentally seen what happened when she glanced through the window, but she was too scared to ask Sasuke anything or even reassure him that she would never say anything to Naruto.

"Sakura's…such an idiot," Sasuke said, finally breaking the silence, "Why would you throw yourself endlessly at somebody who makes it clear that they do not love you? Why disregard somebody who loves you for somebody who doesn't?"

He had no idea why he was airing his thoughts so boldly to Hinata, but once they were out, he was glad he did, he felt lighter.

Hinata looked thoughtful, "I think…I think that people have a tendency to choose the thing that's the worst for them – n-not that I'm saying you're the worst thing."

"I know what you mean. But…I probably am the worst thing for anyone."

"N-no you're not," Hinata said softly.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You're a good person, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn. You must be the only person who thinks that."

"N-Naruto-kun too, and Sakura-chan…all of our friends, Tsunade-sama, our sensei's."

"Hmm. Is there something you want to ask me?" Sasuke asked her suddenly.

Hinata was then reminded of something she had thought about awhile back, "Can you r-read minds?"

Sasuke looked at her incredulously, "What?"

"How do y-you always seem to know what I am thinking?"

Sasuke looked pensive. "That time… it felt like I had heightened senses. Like I could feel…things and just interpret thoughts. Wouldn't call it mind reading. But now, I could just sense it from your posture."

"That time…so you do remember what h-happened?"

"Yes," he replied. He could still vividly recall his out of body experience. Sometimes he could still feel the weirdness that had been associated with it, the odd feeling of being disconnected or even more highly alert than usual. He had gotten used to it, but he often still pondered the reasons behind it. He always tried to make sense of why he got this second chance.

"It's nice to see that you're doing well," Hinata said, smiling warmly, deciding not to question him any further. It was a relief that she didn't hallucinate any of it.

"You are too," he noted.

Hinata nodded, "I'm glad to be away from that g-gloomy hospital."

"Me too…"

He realised that this was the first real, and pleasant conversation he had in a long time, sure they were not very verbal but Hinata was not annoying and he didn't feel as if he would like to kick her out of his apartment like he did with his many other visitors.

"Well…I have to get home," Hinata said, waking up from the futon.

"Okay," Sasuke stood up too, they looked at each other for a moment. Hinata noticed that his eyes had a different look in them, they didn't look haunted or defeated as she had seen before, nor did they look angry or irritated. There was something different reflected in his dark eyes, she just didn't know what.

"I won't say anything to anyone…a-about…"

"I know you won't."

"B-bye!" Hinata said, and practically bolted out of the door when he held it open. He watched her walk onto the street below until she disappeared from view. "Bye," he muttered softly and went back inside.

He smiled slightly as he bit into another cinnamon roll, he had gotten his wish, someone he actually wanted to see visited him today.

-X-

Hinata walked home feeling slightly strange and confused. After seeing that Sakura did indeed have strong feelings for Sasuke, she didn't feel happy that she might have a chance with Naruto. She didn't know what to feel. She certainly was surprised at what Sakura had done, but Hinata kind of understood what Sakura was feeling.

As Hinata passed by the academy, she noticed someone sitting on the park bench nearby. She walked over and sat down beside Sakura on the bench. For a while, neither said anything and then Sakura spoke, sniffling and still wiping away tears, "You must think I am so horrible…Hinata-chan. I don't know what I was thinking."

"We all make m-mistakes," Hinata said, putting an arm around the sobbing girl.

"This is big…I have to tell Naruto…what if he hates me forever?"

"Naruto-kun is not that kind of person."

"You're right…I just…I don't think I can bear to see him hurting and knowing that I am the cause of it. It's always me. Me and my stupid obsession with Sasuke which always ends up hurting Naruto. What if he reaches his limit?"

"Sakura-chan, do you l-love Naruto-kun?"

Sakura looked up at Hinata with swollen eyes and a blotchy red nose, "I was thinking about it…after what happened with Sasuke, and I rather be with Naruto who loves me and who I've come to love rather than Sasuke who I love, but who will never love me back."

"Then it's going to be okay," Hinata said with a comforting smile.

"I hope he can forgive me and how selfish and stupid I've been. I don't even deserve a guy like Naruto… He is a hero, a truly good person. And I've always just overlooked and treated him badly," Sakura said, shaking her head.

Hinata felt her heart lurch painfully, but she ignored it, "Naruto-kun loves you very much, if you tell him everything you've just told me…he…he…will definitely forgive you!"

Hinata was smiling at her pink-haired friend and Sakura hugged her. Both girls burst into tears, Sakura, because she was desperately trying to hold onto and save something magical from breaking and being lost forever. And Hinata, because she knew that she finally had the courage to let go and break away from something her heart once truly desired, for good.

-X-

A/N: Phew, intense chapter! Hope it was worth the extremely long wait…

Please tell me your thoughts in a review ^_^ If anyone here is a twitter user, you're welcome to follow me mizzzhana01 for random stuff, links to other stuff like my original work…if you're interested. I'll follow back!

Thanks again for all the reviews, I will try to update as frequently as I can.


	11. Conflict

_It's only love_

_It's only pain_

_It's only fear_

_That runs through my veins_

_It's all the things you can't explain_

_That makes us human_

_Human – Civil Twilight_

Chapter 11 - Conflict

_His palms were sweaty, his throat felt dry and constricted and he was beyond nervous. This was a stark contrast to the confidence that he always displayed. Today marked a moment that he had been waiting for, for almost four years. The promise he made was fulfilled and he could continue with his life as usual. And he wanted somebody special to be a big part of his life._

"_Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered, looking into her beautiful light green eyes. They were sitting at Ichiraku ramen where he was treating her to lunch. _

_She looked at him imploringly because his demeanour changed from goofy to serious. _

_It was now or never._

_He then smiled widely and scratched the back of his head, "You know that I've had a crush on you since I first saw you at the academy… and over the years, I found myself falling in love with you. I couldn't tell you, not when I couldn't even fulfil my promise to bring Sasuke back. But now he's back, and I can finally tell you…" Naruto's voice cracked, "I love you, Sakura-chan."_

_Silence hung in the air between them, and Sakura had an intense look in her eyes. _

"_Naruto I – I meant it that time when I said I loved you," she looked down at her hands blushing, "You didn't believe it and I may have just said it to stop you from going after Sasuke, but the moment I said those words, I knew in my heart that they were true. You've always been here for me, taking care of me, and this village. I'd be a fool if I ever let you go, Naruto…"_

_I'd be a fool if I ever let you go…_

_I'd be a fool if I ever let you go, Naruto…_

_A fool…_

Naruto replayed the time that he asked Sakura to be his over and over while sitting with his head in his hands.

Sakura was sitting on the floor of his bedroom, tears streaming down her face.

Naruto was utterly lost. He didn't know how to react or what to do. He felt like the love of his life was just slipping further away and there was nothing he could do to stop her. If anyone was the fool in this situation, it was him, for believing that Sakura could ever love him more than Sasuke.

After all, he had promised her that he would bring Sasuke back – because he knew that she really loved Sasuke. What did he expect was going to happen?

She kept repeating that kissing Sasuke had been a mistake, but Naruto didn't know if he could trust Sakura anymore. Despite her reassurances that he was the one that she wanted to be with and Sasuke was nothing more than just a friend, Naruto would always have the seed of doubt in his mind. He could never be sure that she was with him because she truly loved him, or because she could never get Sasuke.

Naruto could not stand to be second best to Sasuke for Sakura's heart. That hurt more than anything.

"Are you crying because you are sorry for what you've done or because you can't have Sasuke?" Naruto asked bluntly.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Sakura and she looked deeply hurt, "I'm sorry… for what I've done to you. I don't want to be with Sasuke."

"You should go," Naruto told her, waking up from his bed to open the door. He needed to think clearly. Was Sakura really this fickle? It was so hard. So hard to hold back from taking her in his arms to comfort her. So hard to look at her miserable, tear-soaked face and fight the urge to kiss her and make her smile again.

"Naruto, I - "

"Sakura-chan, please," he was trying not to look at her. She was standing outside his door looking so helpless and defeated. Against his will, Naruto felt himself tearing up.

"I love you," Sakura said in a choked whisper, and she turned away, walking slowly from Naruto's apartment. He slammed the door and breathed in deeply. What he needed right now was to get away from Sakura and the village for a while.

He had just gotten back from one, but Naruto felt like he needed a new mission.

-X-

Sasuke was bored.

Neither Naruto or Sakura or anybody for that matter had stopped by to visit him in the last couple of days. He knew it must have something to do with what happened the other day. That was a good thing because he had more time for training and he was getting a lot stronger and almost felt like his old self again. Back in his prime as a ninja. But there was only so much training he could do before it got kind of monotonous and he felt like he should be doing something else.

He decided to try his hand at cooking because he couldn't live on cup ramen, tomatoes and toast forever. He threw pieces of chicken and chopped vegetables in a pan and left it on the stove while he went to shower. He stood in the shower, steaming hot water cascading over his pale skin, reddening it, as he was deep in thought. _I need to develop a new technique or two… start taking up missions again and maybe I'll even challenge the dobe for the title of the next Hokage, _Sasuke found himself thinking.

Being Hokage was never on his list of aspirations, but things were different now. If Naruto wanted to be the Hokage, Sasuke wasn't going to let him have it easy. That was the nature of their relationship, to always challenge each other, as rivals. And that was what made them as strong as they were today.

Just as Sasuke was about to shampoo his hair, he smelled an acrid, smoky smell and realised that his lunch was probably getting burnt to a crisp in the pan on the stove. He yanked the shower curtain aside and ran into the kitchen and pulled the pan off the stove, took one look at black mess inside and threw the entire pan into the trash.

"Sasuke!" he heard a loud, familiar, obnoxious voice proclaim, "Why are you burning down the – what the hell!"

Naruto's blue eyes were as wide as saucers and he was pointing at Sasuke and shaking violently. Sasuke looked at him in irritation. Didn't the idiot know how to knock? It was then that Sasuke realised that he was standing in the middle of his kitchen, stark naked, having forgotten his towel when he ran out of the shower to try and salvage his lunch.

"If this is how you cook, I'm never eating anything that you make, ever!" Naruto said, in disgust.

"Tch. I would never even invite you in the first place, dobe," Sasuke said, leaving the kitchen to get dressed, feeling quite embarrassed. He knew he was never going to hear the end of this one. Naruto was probably going to tell the entire village.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, when he finally got dressed.

"Is it safe? Can I open my eyes, you perv?"

Sasuke's eye twitched.

Naruto uncovered his eyes, "We have a mission. We have to go to Granny Tsunade now."

Sasuke felt his heart lift at Naruto's words. So Tsunade decided to trust him enough to finally assign him a mission.

"Hn. Fine."

"Don't act like you're not excited!"

"Why would I be excited to go on a mission with you?" Sasuke snorted.

"Oh, can you go tell Hinata-chan? I'm going to Ichiraku for lunch quickly since you burnt ours and I'm starved!" Naruto said, and was out the door before Sasuke could respond. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, the blonde was as annoying and eccentric as ever. If Sakura had told him about the kiss, he was taking it better than expected. Sasuke had expected Naruto to lash out at him in some way, but he seemed to be unaffected. Or maybe he was just putting on a façade for the sake of the mission at hand.

It was highly unlikely for Naruto not to get riled up over something like that. Sasuke put those thoughts aside and set off for the Hyuuga compound. Sasuke wondered what kind of mission this was going to be that would need himself, Naruto and the Hyuuga heiress as a team. It looked like a dull day outside as the sky looked heavy with dark grey clouds. As he walked through the village, he noticed that people gave him dirty, or scared looks. Mother's clutched their little children's hands and pulled them away from his path.

_Well, what were you expecting? A welcome back party? _He asked himself, simultaneously trying to reassure himself that he didn't really care what these people thought of him. It would probably take many years before they stopped seeing him as a threat and a traitor.

He stopped at a weapons store to replenish his kunai and shuriken before continuing to the Hyuuga compound. He was very familiar with the route, having spent most of his comatose state wandering in and out of there when Hinata was the only one who could see him.

A light drizzle started up as he faced the compound and looked up at the window of the room he knew to be Hinata's. Her curtains were open and he could make out her form moving around the room, looking as though she was busy tidying up.

Suddenly, he heard someone clearing their throat loudly. "Can I help you?"

It was Hiashi Hyuuga.

Sasuke was momentarily startled, and Hiashi's white eyes stared at him questioningly.

"Hiashi-sama," Sasuke greeted, opting to include the honorific.

"Sasuke. Are you looking for Neji?" Hiashi asked, regarding him, not with malice, disgust or contempt but rather with slight interest.

"No. I'm here to see Hinata."

"Oh?" Hiashi said, with both eyebrows raised.

"We have a mission. Tsunade wants to see us."

"Come in," Hiashi said, being courteous because the drizzle turned into a downpour. He sent one of the servants to get Hinata and Sasuke stood in the familiar foyer. He looked at the various photographs that lined the walls of the hallway. Sasuke assumed most of them were Hyuuga clan heads because they looked aged yet regal. He spotted one with two toddlers which looked like Neji and Hinata. Sasuke smirked because it was a rarity to see Neji smiling so openly and carefree, standing next to Hinata with her peach kimono and rosy cheeks.

Sasuke was aware the Hiashi was still in the foyer, appearing to be studying him. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Sasuke turned away and gazed stoically at a window, watching the storm brewing. Finally, Hinata arrived, looking surprised to see Sasuke standing there. Her wide-eyed stare eventually softened and she smiled at him warmly. "Hello Sasuke-kun, how are you?"

"…Fine, you?"

"I'm okay, thank you." She looked at him curiously.

"I am going to my study. Good luck with your mission, Hinata. Make sure you do your best," Hiashi said sternly, and then he left the room. Sasuke instantly felt more at ease when Hiashi was gone. He hadn't felt that way in a long time; it was like being intimidated by his father, or one of the Uchiha elders back when he was a little kid.

"We – we have a mission? Together?" Hinata asked, her tone full of astonishment.

"Yeah. And the do- I mean, Naruto."

"O-oh-"

A loud rumbling came from Sasuke's stomach and he cringed internally, hoping that Hinata didn't hear it. But she did and giggled softly, "Are you hungry?"

Before Sasuke could reply, Hinata was already on her way to the kitchen.

"I'll make you something quickly!"

Sasuke tagged along behind her, "No, you don't have –"

"It's no trouble," Hinata said kindly as she swiftly prepared a couple of rice balls.

Sasuke felt a painful lurch in his heart as this exact moment reminded him of his mother. It must have registered on his face because Hinata looked up at him, worried. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he said shortly.

Hinata didn't question him any further and she pushed the food towards him . Sasuke took it and gratefully tucked in, enjoying the aroma and the delicious flavours. This was the best meal he'd had in days. Hinata busied herself with getting her supplies ready for the mission while he ate. His eyes lazily drifted around the kitchen, everything was so very white and sparkling clean that he actually felt a little guilty for leaving light muddy footprints on the floor.

"Do you know what kind of mission it is? How long is it going to take?" Hinata asked, returning from her room with a backpack. Sasuke's own backpack was on the floor next to him, and it didn't contain much because he didn't know the details of the mission. He shook his head. "We still have to go to Tsunade for the briefing."

She nodded and looked out the window at the torrential rain that was pouring. "We can't go out there now…" she said, giving him a cup of tea and pulling out a chair and sitting at the table with him, resting her cheek on her palm. "I'm glad we have a mission though. I was getting bored."

"Me too," Sasuke found himself saying.

Hinata laughed pleasantly and Sasuke inadvertently felt a smile twitch in the corner of his mouth.

"How is your training going?" she asked, drawing invisible patterns on top of the table with her index finger.

"Great… We should get going," Sasuke said, when he noticed that the rain had slowed to a drizzle.

Hinata stood up and hoisted her backpack on to her tiny shoulders.

"Thank you…for the food," Sasuke mumbled, "It was good."

Hinata smiled shyly and they walked out into the drizzle. As they made their way towards the Hokage tower, Hinata tilted her face up, as if she was enjoying the feel of the rain on her skin.

Sasuke watched her with a slightly bemused expression, "You're going to get a cold like that."

"I'll be fine," Hinata said, as a fork of lightening lit up the sky and a loud bang of thunder followed. Hinata jumped in fright and clutched Sasuke's shirt. He resisted the weird urge to burst into laughter when her face turned a bright shade of red and she drew her hand away quickly.

"S-sorry!"

Sasuke smirked, "Scared of a little thunder and lightning?"

"N-no. I just got startled, that's all," Hinata defended herself.

"Mhmm," he said in a teasing tone, finding it somewhat amusing to get her riled up, like how he did with Naruto. At the same time, he felt a strange feeling, something like uneasiness because he was not used to feeling this light-hearted and carefree.

They finally reached the Hokage tower, both a little damp, but at least the rain had now stopped completely and the sun's rays were trying to peek through the dense clouds.

Hinata leant forward to gently tap Tsunade's office door, but Sasuke just pushed it open and strode in. Naruto was already in there, and by the looks of it, he was bugging Tsunade because she had a greatly annoyed look on her face.

"Teme! Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted, grinning at them, "Aren't you guys pumped for this mission?"

Sasuke noticed that he was acting more weirder and hyperactive than his usual self. He was obviously trying to cover up something.

"Maybe if we knew what the mission was…" Sasuke said.

Tsunade banged a fist on the table and Hinata and Naruto jumped in surprise.

"Your mission will be to retrieve and destroy a cursed necklace for a certain nobleman from the land of pearls," Tsunade briefed them.

"A c-cursed necklace?" Hinata asked, not looking enthused.

Tsunade nodded, "Apparently it is a family heirloom handed down to sons to present to their new brides…however, the young man believes it is cursed because every one of his wives that he presented it to ended up leaving him exactly three months after the wedding."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, this didn't sound like a serious mission at all.

"Why do they need ninja for such a thing?"

"It is a potentially dangerous situation, firstly, the nobleman has been receiving death threats pertaining to the necklace because it is worth thousands of ryo. Secondly, Hinata will be posing as his bride for a while at the wedding. It is she who will be presented with the necklace in front of the family so that his real wife won't come into contact with the curse."

"This mission sounds ridiculous," Sasuke said. "Why can't he just destroy it?"

"The family is very traditional and think he is crazy to think it is cursed. The necklace is kept locked away until the day of the wedding."

"Tsunade-sama, w-why do I have to pose as the bride?"

Tsunade banged the desk again, "It is a B-rank mission! Hinata, you wanted to be back on the mission roster and Sasuke, you've been asking me for a mission for weeks! Don't be picky, there is a huge reward for this mission so you three should count yourselves lucky that you have been chosen to do this!"

"It sounds like it will be fun!" Naruto said.

Sasuke snorted, "Fine."

Hinata still looked unsure.

"Don't worry, Hinata! Sasuke and I will take good care of you," Naruto grinned, giving her a thumbs-up sign. Hinata relaxed a little and smiled at Naruto.

"Now get out of my office!" Tsunade said, handing Hinata a map and paper concerning details of the mission.

When they left the office, they were surprised to find Sakura standing outside. Sasuke saw Naruto visibly tense up.

_So he did know._

Sasuke noted that Sakura did not even look his way.

"I heard you were leaving on a mission again," Sakura said, the sadness evident in her voice, "I just came to say goodbye and wish you good luck. And…and don't do anything rash or foolish." She was trying to sound cheerful but she was failing miserably at it.

Naruto began to walk away from her without a word and Sasuke saw the tears pool in Sakura's eyes. She gave Sasuke a pained look.

"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly, but the blonde heard him, because he stopped, turned around and his blue eyes seemed darker and full of intensity.

"There is nothing going on between Sakura and I, nor will there ever be," Sasuke told his friend.

"I know that. You know that. But does she know that?" Naruto asked.

Sakura looked as if she had been slapped across the face. "I – I made a mistake, Naruto. I know what I want now, and it's _you._ Please, I want things to be okay between us before you go…"

Naruto looked conflicted as Sakura took a step towards him and he took a step back. Sasuke glanced at Hinata; she was leaning against the wall looking like she wanted to disappear into it because the situation was so uncomfortable. Sasuke was part of it, yet he still felt like he was intruding in something that was deeply personal.

"I don't want to lose you, Naruto," Sakura said, with a hint of determination in her voice.

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction and a his face softened. Sasuke knew that his friend was too in love with Sakura to ever stay angry at her for very long, he was weak when it came to her. Sasuke found himself wondering if he would or could ever feel that way about someone. And what would it feel like? Would that person also come to be his weakness?

"I don't want to lose you either," Naruto finally said. Sakura immediately threw herself into his arms and kissed his cheek.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his two friends public displays of affection and he looked at Hinata again to find that she was looking down at her feet and biting her lip.

"We will still have to talk when I get back, Sakura-chan," Naruto told her, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Things were not okay yet but they were going to get better.

Sasuke could see that Naruto had matured somewhat as they walked out of the Hokage tower and the three silently made their way to the village gates. Naruto kissed Sakura quickly before they exited.

"Bye Hinata! Sasuke-kun! Good luck," Sakura called from behind, waving.

"See you, Sakura!" Hinata waved.

Sasuke merely raised his hand.

"And we're off!" Naruto declared.

Much of the clouds had cleared away and the day did not look as gloomy as it had started out. Naruto turned suddenly to Hinata and said, "Hey Hinata, do you want to hear a funny story?"

She blinked at him, "Okay, Naruto-kun."

Naruto flashed Sasuke a devilish grin which made Sasuke very suspicious.

"Sasuke likes to cook naked!"

Sasuke closed his eyes and counted to ten slowly while Hinata turned crimson and didn't dare laugh because Sasuke was looking mutinous.

No, Sasuke realised, Naruto did not really mature at all.

-X-

Well there you have it! My late as usual update.

Hope this chapter didn't disappoint, I know it focused a lot on Naruto and Sakura's relationship but I had to get that out of the way in order to further the plot.

I also tried adding in a bit of humour in here.

As for the weird, lame, filler-episode worthy mission that they are assigned to… I plan to make some interesting things happen there!

And finally, I've been thinking a lot about this story and the direction that I want it to go in and I think that I want to make it a bit "lemony" in future chapters to come. The distant future that is, because certain things are still in development. However, if you guys think that turning this story into a lemon would be a bad idea and want me to keep it totally innocent, please let me know!

Thanks for reading and please review!

OH WAIT! I'm not done yet…

You guys have to check out the Ninja All Stars Tournament, a collaboration fic by Inuyonas and I!

Another story definitely worthy of checking out is an old fic that I found while searching for something to read. It's a SasuHina, rated M, and one of the most hilarious stories I've ever read, called 'Onegai, Senpai' by juliagulia1017!

Okay, I'm done now.


End file.
